Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Spectrum News Special: Raising awareness around #athletes' #mentalhealth
By Spectrum News Staff Ohio
After a tumultuous year during the #pandemic, people around the globe were excited to hear that the 2020 #Tokyo #Olympics would be held in the summer of 2021. But while much of focus had been on the #athletes returning to the world stage, another topic branched out of the games — one that #athletes around the globe are increasingly raising awareness around: #Mentalhealth.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
While the topic has been talked about in the past, the way #athletes struggle with their #mentalhealth didn't get much attention until the Tokyo #Olympics, when reigning #Olympic Gymnast #SimoneBiles pulled out of a few competitions.
“I have to do what’s right for me and focus on my #mentalhealth, and not jeopardize my #health and well-being,” Biles said during the games. “It was like fighting all those demons."
The move was praised and received backlash at the same time, but figures like Olympian #MichaelPhelps, #PresidentJoeBiden and hundreds of other #athletes supported Biles and even called attention to their own personal struggles with #mentalhealth.
“#Mentalhealth over the last 18 months is something people are talking about,” Phelps said during the games, showing support for the gymnast. “We’re human beings. Nobody is perfect. So yes, it is OK not to be OK."
During the Spectrum News special "Rewriting the Playbook: #Athletes and #MentalHealth," we go beyond the headlines to the real story. We spoke with high-profile figures, like Ohio State University football's Ryan Day and former U.S. Olympic Gymnast Dominique Moceanu.
That struggle is extremely common among #athletes here in Ohio and beyond, handling the every-day pressure to perform, dominate and succeed in their support.
"There's a lot of guys that deal with it. There's just a lot coming at these guys," Day said. "We want to make sure that they have everything in place to build that foundation for when things go well or when things don't go so well."
Day said the university is trying to implement more resources to help #athletes' #mentalhealth amid ongoing stressors.
Dr. James Houle, a sports #psychologist at the Ohio State University, said much of the problem coming from #athletes is management between school, work, the sport and their own life outside of all of that.
"They're not just going to practice; they're doing study table and they are icing their knee, and they're talking to their coach and meetings and all these different things," Houle explained. "And then you layer on top of that #socialmedia, it feels like a lot of pressure. And so they're talking about 'How do I manage all of that?' What do you tell them?"
Houle said he is a huge advocate of mindfulness.
"Our ability to pay attention to the present moment on purpose, without judgment, because we can get so pulled up into our thoughts are pulled backwards into what happened — the 'what ifs' that it becomes very difficult to pay attention to just what's actually happening," he said.
Coach Adam Jones of Cincinnati United Premier soccer club opened up about his family struggles with #mentalillness.
"I had a younger brother. His name was Alex," Jones said. "He's two years younger than me. He suffered from Crohn's disease, which is a disease in your intestinal track, and Alex started to not be able to perform in sports like he used to. His grades were suffering because he wasn't in school very much. And he started to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol."
In the summer of 2009, Alex died by #suicide.
"We didn't necessarily see that coming. Back then they didn't really talk about #mentalhealth about #suicide. It wasn't a story. It was kind of taboo," Jones said.
Throughout the special, guests talked about how #mentalhealth plays a role in their lives, and possible solutions to help #athletes who may be struggling. You can watch the full special in the clips above.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8441
Monday, December 6, 2021
Sunday, December 5, 2021
Dublin-born Sherlock and Fleabag actor Andrew Scott talks to Prudence Wade about his latest role - helping to tackle the #male #mentalhealthcrisis with laughter and vulnerability
Andrew Scott was astonished to discover that 75 per cent of suicides in the UK are #men.
ANDREW Scott doesn't always play the kindest characters on-screen - he's known for villainous roles such as Moriarty in Sherlock and Max Denbigh in James Bond movie Spectre - but that really couldn't be further from real life.
The actor is generous with his time and his thoughts, despite calling from Italy where he's currently working 12 hour days shooting a new project. Scott is talking about #male #mentalhealth, and on discovering 75 per cent of suicides in the UK are men, says: "It's an astonishing fact to learn, and something I didn't know."
Scott (45) says he considers #mentalhealth similar to the weather. "The weather is a changeable thing," he says.
"If you're in the driving rain, there's no point in screaming up at the sky saying, 'Please stop raining, please stop raining'. The best thing you can do is just accept it's raining, and know that it will stop."
For the Dublin-born star, a huge factor in the #male #mentalhealthcrisis is society's perceived expectations of #men, to be 'manly' and have a stiff upper lip.
"I think it's to do with vulnerability," he muses.
"Expressing vulnerability is something that's considered in some way a 'feminine' trait - but I think vulnerability is a brilliant trait in a person."
"There's a real #stigma about how we approach #mentalillness," Scott continues.
"Not one of us would say, 'I've never been physically ill' - and in exactly the same way, it seems preposterous to me that we would say we've never had any #mentalillness.
"I think we associate #mentalhealth with having to check into somewhere or having to take medication, or being diagnosed with something. But I think we have to understand it's on a spectrum. The difference between where we land on that spectrum has to do with communication."
Particularly as a result of the #pandemic and what we've all been through during recent times, Scott argues now is "a good time to start talking", as most of us have experienced - to some extent - emotions we might "have never felt before", including a "lack of control and fear".
Scott likes to talk about #mentalhealth with "a certain degree of lightness", he says.
"There's a duality that exists... It sounds odd for me to say that, but as long as you can be light about your darkness, I think you're alright."
Warming to his theme, Scott continues: "It's why sometimes funerals can be more enjoyable than weddings, because at a wedding sometimes people have this dreaded feeling of, you have to be happy, and it's so comparative.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
"We live in such an age of comparison with #socialmedia, and sometimes at a funeral - you don't go up to somebody and go, 'Oh my God, you look terrible', if they've got mascara running down their face, because you're not worrying.
"So people are going, 'Here I am, I am a mess. It's OK for me to cry'. And sometimes that's when we feel incredibly bonded."
Scott says laughter is key to maintaining his own #mentalhealth. "I try and laugh every day," he says passionately.
"It's such a human attribute - the animals, as much as I love them, they don't laugh as much as we do. Sometimes I think we can measure someone's humanity almost by how much they laugh every day and how much they're able to appreciate laughing.
" this is all ridiculous, this doesn't end well for any of us - we're all going to die. So in a way, you've got to laugh as much as you can - that's my attitude certainly, as I move through life."
Scott says exercise is also central to his #mental wellbeing ("without a shadow of a doubt"). Despite a gruelling schedule filming in Italy when all he might want to do is sit down at the end of a long day and eat pasta, he says: "I genuinely believe it's an essential thing. With exercise, people think, 'Oh my God, I have to be really fit or join a gym', but there's nothing I like more than going for a walk with somebody."
Walks might feel "very 2020", but "there's something very beautiful about going for a walk with someone, because you can talk about things but you're not facing each other," says Scott. That's why he supported the HUMEN charity's Rise Against #Suicide Sunrise Walk on Sunday, which aims to 'inspire more men to get active and talk'.
There's another reason Scott likes a simple walk. "I love a non-event," he says. "I like the day after a wedding or getting accidentally drunk on a Tuesday afternoon with your friends.
"Sometimes you can have really meaningful conversations just going for a walk - or hysterical conversations. Life happens in the in-between, because there's no pressure."
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2021/12/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-andrew-scott-theres-a-real-stigma-about-the-male-mentalhealthcrisis/
Andrew Scott was astonished to discover that 75 per cent of suicides in the UK are #men.
ANDREW Scott doesn't always play the kindest characters on-screen - he's known for villainous roles such as Moriarty in Sherlock and Max Denbigh in James Bond movie Spectre - but that really couldn't be further from real life.
The actor is generous with his time and his thoughts, despite calling from Italy where he's currently working 12 hour days shooting a new project. Scott is talking about #male #mentalhealth, and on discovering 75 per cent of suicides in the UK are men, says: "It's an astonishing fact to learn, and something I didn't know."
Scott (45) says he considers #mentalhealth similar to the weather. "The weather is a changeable thing," he says.
"If you're in the driving rain, there's no point in screaming up at the sky saying, 'Please stop raining, please stop raining'. The best thing you can do is just accept it's raining, and know that it will stop."
For the Dublin-born star, a huge factor in the #male #mentalhealthcrisis is society's perceived expectations of #men, to be 'manly' and have a stiff upper lip.
"I think it's to do with vulnerability," he muses.
"Expressing vulnerability is something that's considered in some way a 'feminine' trait - but I think vulnerability is a brilliant trait in a person."
"There's a real #stigma about how we approach #mentalillness," Scott continues.
"Not one of us would say, 'I've never been physically ill' - and in exactly the same way, it seems preposterous to me that we would say we've never had any #mentalillness.
"I think we associate #mentalhealth with having to check into somewhere or having to take medication, or being diagnosed with something. But I think we have to understand it's on a spectrum. The difference between where we land on that spectrum has to do with communication."
Particularly as a result of the #pandemic and what we've all been through during recent times, Scott argues now is "a good time to start talking", as most of us have experienced - to some extent - emotions we might "have never felt before", including a "lack of control and fear".
Scott likes to talk about #mentalhealth with "a certain degree of lightness", he says.
"There's a duality that exists... It sounds odd for me to say that, but as long as you can be light about your darkness, I think you're alright."
Warming to his theme, Scott continues: "It's why sometimes funerals can be more enjoyable than weddings, because at a wedding sometimes people have this dreaded feeling of, you have to be happy, and it's so comparative.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
"We live in such an age of comparison with #socialmedia, and sometimes at a funeral - you don't go up to somebody and go, 'Oh my God, you look terrible', if they've got mascara running down their face, because you're not worrying.
"So people are going, 'Here I am, I am a mess. It's OK for me to cry'. And sometimes that's when we feel incredibly bonded."
Scott says laughter is key to maintaining his own #mentalhealth. "I try and laugh every day," he says passionately.
"It's such a human attribute - the animals, as much as I love them, they don't laugh as much as we do. Sometimes I think we can measure someone's humanity almost by how much they laugh every day and how much they're able to appreciate laughing.
" this is all ridiculous, this doesn't end well for any of us - we're all going to die. So in a way, you've got to laugh as much as you can - that's my attitude certainly, as I move through life."
Scott says exercise is also central to his #mental wellbeing ("without a shadow of a doubt"). Despite a gruelling schedule filming in Italy when all he might want to do is sit down at the end of a long day and eat pasta, he says: "I genuinely believe it's an essential thing. With exercise, people think, 'Oh my God, I have to be really fit or join a gym', but there's nothing I like more than going for a walk with somebody."
Walks might feel "very 2020", but "there's something very beautiful about going for a walk with someone, because you can talk about things but you're not facing each other," says Scott. That's why he supported the HUMEN charity's Rise Against #Suicide Sunrise Walk on Sunday, which aims to 'inspire more men to get active and talk'.
There's another reason Scott likes a simple walk. "I love a non-event," he says. "I like the day after a wedding or getting accidentally drunk on a Tuesday afternoon with your friends.
"Sometimes you can have really meaningful conversations just going for a walk - or hysterical conversations. Life happens in the in-between, because there's no pressure."
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2021/12/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-andrew-scott-theres-a-real-stigma-about-the-male-mentalhealthcrisis/
Saturday, December 4, 2021
Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com
By Erica Simon
The latest studies show an uptick in suicides in this demographic. Now, advocates are hoping we can ban together and put an end to the silent suffering.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- We all know life has taken a toll on #Americans in the last 20 months. But there is a group experts say is really going through it - young, #Black #boys.
The latest studies show there's been an uptick in suicides in that demographic, and now, advocates are hoping we can ban together and put an end to the suffering in silence.
"There's something going on in our #AfricanAmerican communities and we are not talking about it," Angelina Hudson said.
Hudson works day and night to help families impacted by #mentalillness, and the signs and symptoms associated with them. As interim executive director of the #NationalAllianceonMentalHealth Greater Houston or #NAMI, she has seen a lot.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
"Our young #AfricanAmerican #boys, ages 5-12, the uptick in #suicide is really grotesque," she continued.
According to the latest data, #Black #children ages 5 to 12 are two times more likely to attempt #suicide than their white counterparts. #NAMI, the #CDC, and other #mentalhealth agencies said there are a number of factors contributing to #hopelessness nowadays. Bullying, grief over losing a loved one, losing the lifestyle they were used to pre-#pandemic, and #socialmedia pressures all play a part.
"I got to meet this standard. I got to meet that standard. This person is doing x, y, z, so I have to do that," Ebony Scott explained about the way his children have felt.
Scotts is very hands-on with his three kids, and has noticed when they've struggled. His advice to other #Black #parents? Walk the walk.
"Are we willing to go get the counseling we're encouraging our #children, or we should be encouraging our #children to go and get it? So it starts with us as #parents, as #adults, by leading by example, but then also taking our #children to go through the counseling or the therapy they may need to get through what they're going through," he said.
Hudson says oftentimes #Black #boys who act out in #school are miscategorized and overly disciplined. She believes all of us have to get to the root of the problem, so that every child - #Black or not - feels seen, valued, and has space to process trauma or whatever they're feeling.
"Far too often when we see a child, I call it 'coloring outside the lines,' they're punished. They're placed in separate classrooms, in-school suspension. Alternative education programs, when really it's not what's wrong with them. The question is, what happened to them?"
#NAMI Greater Houston provides free help and resources. You can call them day or night, insured or not at 713-970-4419.
If you or someone you know is considering taking their life, you can contact the #NationalSuicideHotline at 1-800-273-8255.
Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2021/12/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-high-rate-of-suicide-among-young-africanamerican-boys-data-shows/
By Erica Simon
The latest studies show an uptick in suicides in this demographic. Now, advocates are hoping we can ban together and put an end to the silent suffering.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- We all know life has taken a toll on #Americans in the last 20 months. But there is a group experts say is really going through it - young, #Black #boys.
The latest studies show there's been an uptick in suicides in that demographic, and now, advocates are hoping we can ban together and put an end to the suffering in silence.
"There's something going on in our #AfricanAmerican communities and we are not talking about it," Angelina Hudson said.
Hudson works day and night to help families impacted by #mentalillness, and the signs and symptoms associated with them. As interim executive director of the #NationalAllianceonMentalHealth Greater Houston or #NAMI, she has seen a lot.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
"Our young #AfricanAmerican #boys, ages 5-12, the uptick in #suicide is really grotesque," she continued.
According to the latest data, #Black #children ages 5 to 12 are two times more likely to attempt #suicide than their white counterparts. #NAMI, the #CDC, and other #mentalhealth agencies said there are a number of factors contributing to #hopelessness nowadays. Bullying, grief over losing a loved one, losing the lifestyle they were used to pre-#pandemic, and #socialmedia pressures all play a part.
"I got to meet this standard. I got to meet that standard. This person is doing x, y, z, so I have to do that," Ebony Scott explained about the way his children have felt.
Scotts is very hands-on with his three kids, and has noticed when they've struggled. His advice to other #Black #parents? Walk the walk.
"Are we willing to go get the counseling we're encouraging our #children, or we should be encouraging our #children to go and get it? So it starts with us as #parents, as #adults, by leading by example, but then also taking our #children to go through the counseling or the therapy they may need to get through what they're going through," he said.
Hudson says oftentimes #Black #boys who act out in #school are miscategorized and overly disciplined. She believes all of us have to get to the root of the problem, so that every child - #Black or not - feels seen, valued, and has space to process trauma or whatever they're feeling.
"Far too often when we see a child, I call it 'coloring outside the lines,' they're punished. They're placed in separate classrooms, in-school suspension. Alternative education programs, when really it's not what's wrong with them. The question is, what happened to them?"
#NAMI Greater Houston provides free help and resources. You can call them day or night, insured or not at 713-970-4419.
If you or someone you know is considering taking their life, you can contact the #NationalSuicideHotline at 1-800-273-8255.
Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2021/12/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-high-rate-of-suicide-among-young-africanamerican-boys-data-shows/
Friday, December 3, 2021
By Sophia Mcdermott-Hughes
Content Warning: This op-ed contains mentions of #suicide.
It is terrifying to wake up one day wishing you were dead.
That fear consumed me earlier this semester. I later discovered my #suicidalideation — the wish to be dead, but not necessarily to kill yourself — was a side effect of an antidepressant I had begun taking. I am off that medication and doing much better now. But the couple of weeks during which I cried myself to sleep nightly hoping I would not wake up the next morning continue to haunt me, especially in the wake of Yan’s death by #suicide.
I am not alone in feeling particularly raw these last few weeks; many other #students here have experience with suicidal thoughts and ideation or continue to experience them. Others have lost loved ones to #suicide or gone through traumatic periods trying to support loved ones through their own #mentalhealth struggles.
The reality is that we are living in a dangerous age and a dangerous place. According to the #SuicidePrevention Resource Center, “Suicide is the leading cause of death among college and university #students.” Yet, even after losing one of our own to #suicide, why does it seem like no one is talking about it?
Every time I have mentioned my own experiences and trauma with suicidal thoughts in the wake of Yan’s death, my peers have responded in kind. I have walked away from those conversations feeling nourished by the trust and vulnerability of my classmates and the sense of comradery in grief and pain. It doesn’t make the hurt any lighter, but god is it such a relief to shoulder the burden together rather than alone.
I think back to those lonely nights where I wished I were dead and realize these conversations are exactly what I needed. What a difference it would have made for me to know that I was not suffering alone, that there were those around me who were going through the same, or had gone through it and survived. I am so sad and so angry for the Sophia who felt they had no one to turn to, who went to class surrounded by people more like them than they ever knew and yet felt so alone.
We need to seriously think about what gets communicated when we don’t communicate. When the message after a student’s death by #suicide is: “Here are some resources that you should reach out to if you need help,” it puts the onus and responsibility on the person struggling. Suicidal thoughts, #depression and other #mentalhealth struggles are incredibly isolating as is. They tell you that you are alone in your suffering, and weak for it. That no one cares and no one will come to save you.
In those dark weeks, it took all of my energy to get out of bed, to maybe make it to class (oftentimes I didn’t) and to function as somewhat of a human being. Every cell in my body was working in overdrive just to stay alive, and yet I was being asked to make all of these calls and chase after all of these resources and self-advocate time and time again on top of it all. It felt so isolating, unmanageable and deeply, deeply unfair.
If the message when you need help is that you have to search for it yourself, all that many people will hear is that there is no help for them.
Equally damaging is the message, while well-intentioned, to “check in on your friends.” Often, people experiencing suicidal thoughts view themselves as a huge burden on their friends and loved ones. The weight of our own sadness and hurt feels too large to bear, so how could we imagine putting that on the people we care about? When we hear over and over again this message that seems to imply that our friends are the ones responsible for our survival, it only heightens that feeling of being a burden and deepens the #isolation.
The reality is that we are 20-year-olds. We are not equipped to handle our friends’ #mentalhealthcrises on our own, nor can we alone save our friends from the demons (and chemicals) within their own minds.
#Suicide is an institutional failing, not an individual one. We as a community, and certainly Middlebury as an institution, have failed to create a culture where we can talk about #suicide and provide support for those experiencing suicidal thoughts or urges. We have failed to create room for those whose full effort is spent on surviving and celebrate them for doing so rather than punishing them for falling behind on schoolwork or missing classes. And we have failed now, in the wake of Yan’s death by #suicide, to show those experiencing similar struggles that we care at all.
We need to change, and we need to talk about #suicide. Before it’s too late.
If you are thinking about suicide, please call the #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255).
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Sophia McDermott-Hughes
Sophia McDermott-Hughes ’23 is an editor at large.
They previously served as a news editor and senior news writer.
McDermott-Hughes is a joint anthropology and Arabic major and Spanish minor.
Over the summer, they worked as a general assignment reporter at statewide digital newspaper VTDigger, focusing on issues relating to migrant workers and immigration.
In 2018 and 2019, McDermott-Hughes worked as a reporter on the Since Parkland Project, a partnership with the Trace and the Miami Herald, which chronicled the lives of the more than 1,200 children killed by gun violence in the #UnitedStates in the year since the #MarjoryStonemanDouglas #HighSchool shooting in Florida.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2021/12/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-notes-from-the-desk-why-we-need-to-talk-about-suicide/
Content Warning: This op-ed contains mentions of #suicide.
It is terrifying to wake up one day wishing you were dead.
That fear consumed me earlier this semester. I later discovered my #suicidalideation — the wish to be dead, but not necessarily to kill yourself — was a side effect of an antidepressant I had begun taking. I am off that medication and doing much better now. But the couple of weeks during which I cried myself to sleep nightly hoping I would not wake up the next morning continue to haunt me, especially in the wake of Yan’s death by #suicide.
I am not alone in feeling particularly raw these last few weeks; many other #students here have experience with suicidal thoughts and ideation or continue to experience them. Others have lost loved ones to #suicide or gone through traumatic periods trying to support loved ones through their own #mentalhealth struggles.
The reality is that we are living in a dangerous age and a dangerous place. According to the #SuicidePrevention Resource Center, “Suicide is the leading cause of death among college and university #students.” Yet, even after losing one of our own to #suicide, why does it seem like no one is talking about it?
Every time I have mentioned my own experiences and trauma with suicidal thoughts in the wake of Yan’s death, my peers have responded in kind. I have walked away from those conversations feeling nourished by the trust and vulnerability of my classmates and the sense of comradery in grief and pain. It doesn’t make the hurt any lighter, but god is it such a relief to shoulder the burden together rather than alone.
I think back to those lonely nights where I wished I were dead and realize these conversations are exactly what I needed. What a difference it would have made for me to know that I was not suffering alone, that there were those around me who were going through the same, or had gone through it and survived. I am so sad and so angry for the Sophia who felt they had no one to turn to, who went to class surrounded by people more like them than they ever knew and yet felt so alone.
We need to seriously think about what gets communicated when we don’t communicate. When the message after a student’s death by #suicide is: “Here are some resources that you should reach out to if you need help,” it puts the onus and responsibility on the person struggling. Suicidal thoughts, #depression and other #mentalhealth struggles are incredibly isolating as is. They tell you that you are alone in your suffering, and weak for it. That no one cares and no one will come to save you.
In those dark weeks, it took all of my energy to get out of bed, to maybe make it to class (oftentimes I didn’t) and to function as somewhat of a human being. Every cell in my body was working in overdrive just to stay alive, and yet I was being asked to make all of these calls and chase after all of these resources and self-advocate time and time again on top of it all. It felt so isolating, unmanageable and deeply, deeply unfair.
If the message when you need help is that you have to search for it yourself, all that many people will hear is that there is no help for them.
Equally damaging is the message, while well-intentioned, to “check in on your friends.” Often, people experiencing suicidal thoughts view themselves as a huge burden on their friends and loved ones. The weight of our own sadness and hurt feels too large to bear, so how could we imagine putting that on the people we care about? When we hear over and over again this message that seems to imply that our friends are the ones responsible for our survival, it only heightens that feeling of being a burden and deepens the #isolation.
The reality is that we are 20-year-olds. We are not equipped to handle our friends’ #mentalhealthcrises on our own, nor can we alone save our friends from the demons (and chemicals) within their own minds.
#Suicide is an institutional failing, not an individual one. We as a community, and certainly Middlebury as an institution, have failed to create a culture where we can talk about #suicide and provide support for those experiencing suicidal thoughts or urges. We have failed to create room for those whose full effort is spent on surviving and celebrate them for doing so rather than punishing them for falling behind on schoolwork or missing classes. And we have failed now, in the wake of Yan’s death by #suicide, to show those experiencing similar struggles that we care at all.
We need to change, and we need to talk about #suicide. Before it’s too late.
If you are thinking about suicide, please call the #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255).
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Sophia McDermott-Hughes
Sophia McDermott-Hughes ’23 is an editor at large.
They previously served as a news editor and senior news writer.
McDermott-Hughes is a joint anthropology and Arabic major and Spanish minor.
Over the summer, they worked as a general assignment reporter at statewide digital newspaper VTDigger, focusing on issues relating to migrant workers and immigration.
In 2018 and 2019, McDermott-Hughes worked as a reporter on the Since Parkland Project, a partnership with the Trace and the Miami Herald, which chronicled the lives of the more than 1,200 children killed by gun violence in the #UnitedStates in the year since the #MarjoryStonemanDouglas #HighSchool shooting in Florida.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2021/12/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-notes-from-the-desk-why-we-need-to-talk-about-suicide/
By Sophia Mcdermott-Hughes
Content Warning: This op-ed contains mentions of #suicide.
It is terrifying to wake up one day wishing you were dead.
That fear consumed me earlier this semester. I later discovered my #suicidalideation — the wish to be dead, but not necessarily to kill yourself — was a side effect of an antidepressant I had begun taking. I am off that medication and doing much better now. But the couple of weeks during which I cried myself to sleep nightly hoping I would not wake up the next morning continue to haunt me, especially in the wake of Yan’s death by #suicide.
I am not alone in feeling particularly raw these last few weeks; many other #students here have experience with suicidal thoughts and ideation or continue to experience them. Others have lost loved ones to #suicide or gone through traumatic periods trying to support loved ones through their own #mentalhealth struggles.
The reality is that we are living in a dangerous age and a dangerous place. According to the #SuicidePrevention Resource Center, “Suicide is the leading cause of death among college and university #students.” Yet, even after losing one of our own to #suicide, why does it seem like no one is talking about it?
Every time I have mentioned my own experiences and trauma with suicidal thoughts in the wake of Yan’s death, my peers have responded in kind. I have walked away from those conversations feeling nourished by the trust and vulnerability of my classmates and the sense of comradery in grief and pain. It doesn’t make the hurt any lighter, but god is it such a relief to shoulder the burden together rather than alone.
I think back to those lonely nights where I wished I were dead and realize these conversations are exactly what I needed. What a difference it would have made for me to know that I was not suffering alone, that there were those around me who were going through the same, or had gone through it and survived. I am so sad and so angry for the Sophia who felt they had no one to turn to, who went to class surrounded by people more like them than they ever knew and yet felt so alone.
We need to seriously think about what gets communicated when we don’t communicate. When the message after a student’s death by #suicide is: “Here are some resources that you should reach out to if you need help,” it puts the onus and responsibility on the person struggling. Suicidal thoughts, #depression and other #mentalhealth struggles are incredibly isolating as is. They tell you that you are alone in your suffering, and weak for it. That no one cares and no one will come to save you.
In those dark weeks, it took all of my energy to get out of bed, to maybe make it to class (oftentimes I didn’t) and to function as somewhat of a human being. Every cell in my body was working in overdrive just to stay alive, and yet I was being asked to make all of these calls and chase after all of these resources and self-advocate time and time again on top of it all. It felt so isolating, unmanageable and deeply, deeply unfair.
If the message when you need help is that you have to search for it yourself, all that many people will hear is that there is no help for them.
Equally damaging is the message, while well-intentioned, to “check in on your friends.” Often, people experiencing suicidal thoughts view themselves as a huge burden on their friends and loved ones. The weight of our own sadness and hurt feels too large to bear, so how could we imagine putting that on the people we care about? When we hear over and over again this message that seems to imply that our friends are the ones responsible for our survival, it only heightens that feeling of being a burden and deepens the #isolation.
The reality is that we are 20-year-olds. We are not equipped to handle our friends’ #mentalhealthcrises on our own, nor can we alone save our friends from the demons (and chemicals) within their own minds.
#Suicide is an institutional failing, not an individual one. We as a community, and certainly Middlebury as an institution, have failed to create a culture where we can talk about #suicide and provide support for those experiencing suicidal thoughts or urges. We have failed to create room for those whose full effort is spent on surviving and celebrate them for doing so rather than punishing them for falling behind on schoolwork or missing classes. And we have failed now, in the wake of Yan’s death by #suicide, to show those experiencing similar struggles that we care at all.
We need to change, and we need to talk about #suicide. Before it’s too late.
If you are thinking about suicide, please call the #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255).
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Sophia McDermott-Hughes
Sophia McDermott-Hughes ’23 is an editor at large.
They previously served as a news editor and senior news writer.
McDermott-Hughes is a joint anthropology and Arabic major and Spanish minor.
Over the summer, they worked as a general assignment reporter at statewide digital newspaper VTDigger, focusing on issues relating to migrant workers and immigration.
In 2018 and 2019, McDermott-Hughes worked as a reporter on the Since Parkland Project, a partnership with the Trace and the Miami Herald, which chronicled the lives of the more than 1,200 children killed by gun violence in the #UnitedStates in the year since the #MarjoryStonemanDouglas #HighSchool shooting in Florida.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=7373
Content Warning: This op-ed contains mentions of #suicide.
It is terrifying to wake up one day wishing you were dead.
That fear consumed me earlier this semester. I later discovered my #suicidalideation — the wish to be dead, but not necessarily to kill yourself — was a side effect of an antidepressant I had begun taking. I am off that medication and doing much better now. But the couple of weeks during which I cried myself to sleep nightly hoping I would not wake up the next morning continue to haunt me, especially in the wake of Yan’s death by #suicide.
I am not alone in feeling particularly raw these last few weeks; many other #students here have experience with suicidal thoughts and ideation or continue to experience them. Others have lost loved ones to #suicide or gone through traumatic periods trying to support loved ones through their own #mentalhealth struggles.
The reality is that we are living in a dangerous age and a dangerous place. According to the #SuicidePrevention Resource Center, “Suicide is the leading cause of death among college and university #students.” Yet, even after losing one of our own to #suicide, why does it seem like no one is talking about it?
Every time I have mentioned my own experiences and trauma with suicidal thoughts in the wake of Yan’s death, my peers have responded in kind. I have walked away from those conversations feeling nourished by the trust and vulnerability of my classmates and the sense of comradery in grief and pain. It doesn’t make the hurt any lighter, but god is it such a relief to shoulder the burden together rather than alone.
I think back to those lonely nights where I wished I were dead and realize these conversations are exactly what I needed. What a difference it would have made for me to know that I was not suffering alone, that there were those around me who were going through the same, or had gone through it and survived. I am so sad and so angry for the Sophia who felt they had no one to turn to, who went to class surrounded by people more like them than they ever knew and yet felt so alone.
We need to seriously think about what gets communicated when we don’t communicate. When the message after a student’s death by #suicide is: “Here are some resources that you should reach out to if you need help,” it puts the onus and responsibility on the person struggling. Suicidal thoughts, #depression and other #mentalhealth struggles are incredibly isolating as is. They tell you that you are alone in your suffering, and weak for it. That no one cares and no one will come to save you.
In those dark weeks, it took all of my energy to get out of bed, to maybe make it to class (oftentimes I didn’t) and to function as somewhat of a human being. Every cell in my body was working in overdrive just to stay alive, and yet I was being asked to make all of these calls and chase after all of these resources and self-advocate time and time again on top of it all. It felt so isolating, unmanageable and deeply, deeply unfair.
If the message when you need help is that you have to search for it yourself, all that many people will hear is that there is no help for them.
Equally damaging is the message, while well-intentioned, to “check in on your friends.” Often, people experiencing suicidal thoughts view themselves as a huge burden on their friends and loved ones. The weight of our own sadness and hurt feels too large to bear, so how could we imagine putting that on the people we care about? When we hear over and over again this message that seems to imply that our friends are the ones responsible for our survival, it only heightens that feeling of being a burden and deepens the #isolation.
The reality is that we are 20-year-olds. We are not equipped to handle our friends’ #mentalhealthcrises on our own, nor can we alone save our friends from the demons (and chemicals) within their own minds.
#Suicide is an institutional failing, not an individual one. We as a community, and certainly Middlebury as an institution, have failed to create a culture where we can talk about #suicide and provide support for those experiencing suicidal thoughts or urges. We have failed to create room for those whose full effort is spent on surviving and celebrate them for doing so rather than punishing them for falling behind on schoolwork or missing classes. And we have failed now, in the wake of Yan’s death by #suicide, to show those experiencing similar struggles that we care at all.
We need to change, and we need to talk about #suicide. Before it’s too late.
If you are thinking about suicide, please call the #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255).
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Sophia McDermott-Hughes
Sophia McDermott-Hughes ’23 is an editor at large.
They previously served as a news editor and senior news writer.
McDermott-Hughes is a joint anthropology and Arabic major and Spanish minor.
Over the summer, they worked as a general assignment reporter at statewide digital newspaper VTDigger, focusing on issues relating to migrant workers and immigration.
In 2018 and 2019, McDermott-Hughes worked as a reporter on the Since Parkland Project, a partnership with the Trace and the Miami Herald, which chronicled the lives of the more than 1,200 children killed by gun violence in the #UnitedStates in the year since the #MarjoryStonemanDouglas #HighSchool shooting in Florida.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=7373
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Photo by Min An on Pexels.com
Nicole Pasia
According to a December 2020 report from the Hawaii Department of Health’s Child and #Adolescent #MentalHealth Division (CAMHD), #suicide was the second-leading cause of death in young people in Hawaii. Experts say the #pandemic and #socialisolation have further stressed #mentalhealth among kids and their families.
Get the latest state-specific policy intelligence for the health care sector delivered to your inbox.
State of Reform spoke with some of Hawaii’s #behavioralhealth experts on what the state, providers, schools, and communities can do to help. Here are a few key issues they brought up:
Major events have profound effects on community #mentalhealth
Kumi Macdonald, executive director for the #NationalAllianceonMentalIllness (#NAMI) Hawaii, said the effects of the #pandemic and other widespread events directly correlate with the demand for #mentalhealthservices.
“Every time there was another spike in #COVID, or shutdowns, … the #BlackLivesMatter movement — things like that really did affect our community, and the calls would rise.”
For kids, the move back to in-person learning after a year of #socialisolation has proven difficult, according to Claudia Crist, CEO at Sutter Health K?hi M?hala, a West Oahu-based #behavioralhealth medical center.
“It’s almost like they’ve had what you could consider a ‘social regression’ … because they were isolated for such an extended period of time, they don’t feel as comfortable now, interacting in person with their own peers. According to our clinicians, they’re noticing this especially among early #teens, and tweens.”
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Importance of peer support groups
Research shows that the use of peer #mentalhealth support from those with similar lived experiences can reduce hospital stays, re-hospitalization rates, and lead to better health outcomes.
Acting CAMHD Administrator Scott Shimabukuro, PhD, said in a statement that the agency is working to expand peer services for children and families:
“We’re working on creating a more robust peer support service array. This would include certifying more youth peers (young #adults who have lived experience in the #mentalhealth system as children or #adolescents) as well as #parent peers (parents with lived experience parenting a child with a #mentalhealth challenge).”
Using telehealth to leverage access to care
With the stay-at-home orders in place during the #pandemic, Macdonald said the use of telehealth was a “silver lining” in increasing access to care. She said #NAMI HI was one of the first agencies in the state to move peer support services online.
At Sutter Health, telehealth is utilized for family therapy sessions, and provides a way for #parents and guardians to visit their in-patient children, even when #pandemic restrictions prevented in-person visits. Crist said:
“Some of the kids that we have are maybe nine years old, eight years old. That’s really young to be away from your #parents. In order to have connections , … We also enable televisits so that they can see their #parents and interact as well.” Some areas of the state still lack telehealth services geared towards family #mentalhealth. One of CAMHD’s upcoming projects, said Shimabukuro, is “providing a form of family therapy via telehealth on Maui that doesn’t currently exist there.”
Addressing the need for more research
To develop the proper initiatives to address youth #mentalhealth, Gerald Busch, MD, a #psychiatrist at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, said there need to be proper measures in place to identify the highest areas of need. He suggested that #schools and local communities put a higher emphasis on “digital epidemiology,” or the use of online public health surveys that assess how kids are feeling, #mentalhealth-wise.
Integrating physical and #mentalhealth
Crist said there needs to be more resources for primary care #physicians to assess #mentalhealth alongside physical health. These consistent assessments could lead to better health outcomes, she said.
“ integrating funding, partnerships and technology to better equip our primary care #physicians, to help them flag potential red flags for #patients … Helping those primary care providers really have that support so that they can identify #patients earlier can actually prevent a lot of the severe #mentalillness.”
Building community resilience
The most widely discussed issue among experts was the need to improve community resilience in the wake of major crises, such as the #pandemic. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this refers to “the ability of a community to use its assets to strengthen public health and healthcare systems and to improve the community’s physical, #behavioral, and social health to withstand, adapt to, and recover from adversity.”
Busch said strengthening community resilience is key in the case of future public crises.
“The community is the basic unit of public health. Building community resilience — it’s very important … members of the community might have differences on various things, but at some point they realize that we’re all members of the same community. We have to work together to make our community work. In Hawaii, we have a lot of different kinds of community centers, and those serve as the basis for activities that build community resilience.”
According to Crist, even more needs to be done to improve community resilience for kids, including focusing services for pregnant people and young families.
“Young families, young mothers, expecting mothers, all the way to when the child is five or so years of age. What are we doing to surround those families with wraparound support systems so that they are feeling supported — that there’s resiliency and that the child grows up and can develop proper resiliency? That is more of a public health concept, but if we were to collectively look at and put more emphasis on that, I think what would make a big difference.”
Photo by Min An on Pexels.com
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2021/12/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-battling-isolation-and-building-resilience-the-future-of-child-and-family-mentalhealth-in-hawaii/
Nicole Pasia
According to a December 2020 report from the Hawaii Department of Health’s Child and #Adolescent #MentalHealth Division (CAMHD), #suicide was the second-leading cause of death in young people in Hawaii. Experts say the #pandemic and #socialisolation have further stressed #mentalhealth among kids and their families.
Get the latest state-specific policy intelligence for the health care sector delivered to your inbox.
State of Reform spoke with some of Hawaii’s #behavioralhealth experts on what the state, providers, schools, and communities can do to help. Here are a few key issues they brought up:
Major events have profound effects on community #mentalhealth
Kumi Macdonald, executive director for the #NationalAllianceonMentalIllness (#NAMI) Hawaii, said the effects of the #pandemic and other widespread events directly correlate with the demand for #mentalhealthservices.
“Every time there was another spike in #COVID, or shutdowns, … the #BlackLivesMatter movement — things like that really did affect our community, and the calls would rise.”
For kids, the move back to in-person learning after a year of #socialisolation has proven difficult, according to Claudia Crist, CEO at Sutter Health K?hi M?hala, a West Oahu-based #behavioralhealth medical center.
“It’s almost like they’ve had what you could consider a ‘social regression’ … because they were isolated for such an extended period of time, they don’t feel as comfortable now, interacting in person with their own peers. According to our clinicians, they’re noticing this especially among early #teens, and tweens.”
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Importance of peer support groups
Research shows that the use of peer #mentalhealth support from those with similar lived experiences can reduce hospital stays, re-hospitalization rates, and lead to better health outcomes.
Acting CAMHD Administrator Scott Shimabukuro, PhD, said in a statement that the agency is working to expand peer services for children and families:
“We’re working on creating a more robust peer support service array. This would include certifying more youth peers (young #adults who have lived experience in the #mentalhealth system as children or #adolescents) as well as #parent peers (parents with lived experience parenting a child with a #mentalhealth challenge).”
Using telehealth to leverage access to care
With the stay-at-home orders in place during the #pandemic, Macdonald said the use of telehealth was a “silver lining” in increasing access to care. She said #NAMI HI was one of the first agencies in the state to move peer support services online.
At Sutter Health, telehealth is utilized for family therapy sessions, and provides a way for #parents and guardians to visit their in-patient children, even when #pandemic restrictions prevented in-person visits. Crist said:
“Some of the kids that we have are maybe nine years old, eight years old. That’s really young to be away from your #parents. In order to have connections , … We also enable televisits so that they can see their #parents and interact as well.” Some areas of the state still lack telehealth services geared towards family #mentalhealth. One of CAMHD’s upcoming projects, said Shimabukuro, is “providing a form of family therapy via telehealth on Maui that doesn’t currently exist there.”
Addressing the need for more research
To develop the proper initiatives to address youth #mentalhealth, Gerald Busch, MD, a #psychiatrist at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, said there need to be proper measures in place to identify the highest areas of need. He suggested that #schools and local communities put a higher emphasis on “digital epidemiology,” or the use of online public health surveys that assess how kids are feeling, #mentalhealth-wise.
Integrating physical and #mentalhealth
Crist said there needs to be more resources for primary care #physicians to assess #mentalhealth alongside physical health. These consistent assessments could lead to better health outcomes, she said.
“ integrating funding, partnerships and technology to better equip our primary care #physicians, to help them flag potential red flags for #patients … Helping those primary care providers really have that support so that they can identify #patients earlier can actually prevent a lot of the severe #mentalillness.”
Building community resilience
The most widely discussed issue among experts was the need to improve community resilience in the wake of major crises, such as the #pandemic. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this refers to “the ability of a community to use its assets to strengthen public health and healthcare systems and to improve the community’s physical, #behavioral, and social health to withstand, adapt to, and recover from adversity.”
Busch said strengthening community resilience is key in the case of future public crises.
“The community is the basic unit of public health. Building community resilience — it’s very important … members of the community might have differences on various things, but at some point they realize that we’re all members of the same community. We have to work together to make our community work. In Hawaii, we have a lot of different kinds of community centers, and those serve as the basis for activities that build community resilience.”
According to Crist, even more needs to be done to improve community resilience for kids, including focusing services for pregnant people and young families.
“Young families, young mothers, expecting mothers, all the way to when the child is five or so years of age. What are we doing to surround those families with wraparound support systems so that they are feeling supported — that there’s resiliency and that the child grows up and can develop proper resiliency? That is more of a public health concept, but if we were to collectively look at and put more emphasis on that, I think what would make a big difference.”
Photo by Min An on Pexels.com
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2021/12/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-battling-isolation-and-building-resilience-the-future-of-child-and-family-mentalhealth-in-hawaii/
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMcZBrUnjFE&ab_channel=NAMI
James Donaldson is a NAMI - Seattle Board of Director Member
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2021/12/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-a-brighter-day-30-online/
James Donaldson is a NAMI - Seattle Board of Director Member
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2021/12/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-a-brighter-day-30-online/
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