stop the silence

This week there was an article, Breaking the Silence About Suicide, in the Star Tribune (the Minneapolis newspaper) that made me appreciate that progress definitely is happening in regards to understanding mental illness... still such a long way to go, though- especially in fighting the stigma surrounding those of us who live with mental illnesses.  

Thankful for steps in the right direction, but deeply aware of the change that still needs to happen.  My prayer is that we would not be satisfied with "less stigma" until there is "no stigma," an ideal that is impossible but still must remain our ultimate goal.

In an article linked to the one linked above, the director of NAMI says,

“When someone has cancer, we say they are courageous or determined. No one uses those words for people with mental illness, and we should,” she said. “It takes an enormous amount of courage to face this illness.”  

Agreed.



**I also want to just put a little plug in for a friend that I walked the last half of the Out of Darkness overnight walk with (my last post was about this walk).  I have no clue how we ended up walking all of those miles together because it was the middle of the night and we had already been walking for hours, and honestly a lot of people's stories from that weekend kinda are jumbled together in my memory.  But from her experiences, she began this awesome thing called "Sing Out of Darkness."  Read a snippet of her story below and then check it out for yourself- especially if you live in the San Francisco area!

My father committed suicide when I was 18. It was the most horrific experience I’ve ever endured, and it was a very difficult thing to overcome.  For over 25 years I was ashamed and embarrassed to discuss what happened.  I recently made a correlation that my silence was contributing to the stigma and shame associated with suicide, mental health, and depression.  I immediately vowed that I would do whatever I could to prevent another person from taking their life.  

Very quickly, people began sharing their own stories of how they either attempted to take their lives or how they were personally impacted by suicide.  People responded that by hearing these stories, they began to look at depression differently.  I quickly realized that Sing Out of Darkness was no longer about a daughter trying to honor her father – it was about helping those suffering by getting people to change the way they look at mental health.  

When people are physically sick, they are encouraged to go to the doctor for care.  People should feel the same way when they feel their mental state is in question.  Instead, many people avoid seeking treatment due to the stigma associated with therapy.  By avoiding treatment, those individuals enter into a private battle that breaks down their strength, hope, and spirit.  Left untreated, those individuals could reach a place where they attempt to take their life as a desperate attempt to alleviate their pain and anguish. The sad fact is that 90% of depression related cases can be treated, and that the pain and loss that comes from successful suicide attempts can be avoided.  

By openly discussing suicide and sharing our stories, Sing Out of Darkness hopes to raise awareness of the issue of suicide, and to create a platform of hope and encouragement for those suffering.   We want those suffering to know that we support them, and that they are not alone. 

By raising funds for the services that the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP) provides, Sing Out of Darkness believes that we are giving those suffering one more chance at hope.  Our hope is that those suffering will benefit from suicide outreach programs, or see the advertisement for the suicide hotline and take the brave step to call and ask for help.  Sing Out of Darkness wants to help those that are suffering or have lost somebody to suicide to transcend their pain so they can experience the resiliency of the human spirit, and live their life to the fullest.  

Spread hope. Raise awareness. Transcend pain. Save lives. That is what Sing Out of Darkness is about.  We will do this one song at a time.