November 1, 2018 | By: Anonymous
Categories: Family Support
"Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem."
I heard this statement the other night on the radio. A couple’s adult son had died by suicide. The dad mentioned that no one will talk about suicide in the United States. The couple actually put in the obituary that he had died by suicide to make people aware. Yet no one who contacted them or came to the funeral would talk about it with them. We throw funding at it, but we don’t talk about it.
I have realized that there are those of us who think suicide is an option and those of us who have never considered it. I was fascinated with suicide as a teen. Enough to write a paper on it in high school. I learned that 8-year-old children attempt it. Maybe it will make mom and dad stop fighting. They don’t realize that they won’t be there to see mom and dad not fighting. Because no one ever talks about suicide.
A dear friend’s daughter died by suicide in her early 20s. She had a disability and developed depression as a teenager. She made other failed attempts. But those only increased the stigma of mental illness for her. And left her isolated except for her family. Because no one ever talks about suicide.
Her parents discussed her suicide as part of the memorial. They felt that if they could have kept her alive until she reached her 30s, she might have stopped trying to end her life. More of a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
My son spent his first 6 months in the NICU. I was terrified when he was in the hospital and just as terrified when I brought him home. I had my first long-term depression after he was released from the label “medically fragile.” I never had any serious mental health issue or crisis before that but I know that having my child in the NICU for 6 months brought me very close to PTSD. Many parents with children in the NICU are diagnosed with PTSD
Realizing the responsibility I faced, and knowing my son depended on me for everything, pretty much ended any thoughts of suicide for me.
But I remain fascinated with the fact that it is the 2nd leading cause of death for Texans age 15-34. Third for ages 10-14. And we still can’t talk about it.
Let’s change that!
Find more information on when to get mental health help for children on this website.
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Categories: Family Support
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Categories: Family Support
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Categories: Family Support