But here’s what I learned: That moment when I wanted to take my own life was short-lived, and had the scales tipped ever so slightly there would have been no one able to stop me.Raskin’s lecture, titled “It’s Hard to Be Human: The Political, Philosophical and Mental Health Struggles of Tommy Raskin,” explored the the philosophical and moral courage of Raskin’s son, who he called “a young man of extraordinary gifts.” I can advise friends and family members to know the warning signs of suicide. If you suffer from depression, I can tell you not to be ashamed of your illness and to reach out when you need help. No one would ever have been the wiser - until the illness forced his hand. So I understand how Tommy could be urging Georgians to vote as he engaged in a life-and-death struggle with his illness. I really wanted to throw my arms around any one of the other participants, whom I didn’t know well, and ask for help. I am smiling, in a polo shirt and shorts, but appearances can be deceiving. I see a photo of that event every August when it pops up in my Facebook memories. On my worst day, I showed up as planned at a local bookstore reading to a group of queer kids. Kirsten Powers: Americans are depressed and suicidal because something is wrong with our culture Someone couldn’t understand how he could die from suicide while looking to the future. A different friend replied that it made perfect sense to those with depression, that it could take over suddenly. I even thought to myself, “Under those circumstances, with such excellent care, I might have made the same decision.” Illness forces your handĪnother troubling discussion started on Tommy’s Facebook page underneath a post he had made 10 days before he died, encouraging Georgia voters to turn out in the Senate runoffs on Jan. I better understood why my calls - even that plane ticket - could not have prevented this disease from taking its course. We all had.Īfter her death, her parents allowed me to read her journal, which highlighted the terrifying hallucinations that plagued her, devouring her at night when everyone else was safely in bed.
One night, she swallowed her stockpile of meds and died a few hours later. Someone consumed by a severe mental health illness is not able to make a reservation, pack a suitcase, go to the airport and get on a plane.ĭeaths of despair: My sister doesn't have COVID-19, but I'm scared she won't make it out of 2020
Indeed, depression turns us into secretive people who conceal their pain - and their risk. As one blogger wrote a few years ago for a mental health campaign, “People suffering from mental health problems (pull) a shroud of secrecy over their lives in the hope that people don’t find out how they’re really feeling.” My bipolar friend who died by suicide did not.Īs much as I was pained by Tommy’s death, I also found myself vexed as I read comments on his public Facebook page, because some posts highlighted wrong notions about depression and suicide. Capitol, where the congressman was present because he believed it was his duty to count the electoral votes and confirm Joe Biden’s presidential victory.Īn invisible burden: I have a disability everyone can see. It took courage for the Raskins to come forward. The family continued to show courage when, the day after Raskin buried his son, the grieving father found himself caught in the Trump-fueled insurrection at the U.S. The hotline: Finally we can call 988 suicide hotline when we fear that we or a loved one is at riskīecause of the stigma surrounding suicide, many researchers say these numbers are underreported.
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