This is a recent blog post from our friend and admin Ann Bumback. Please read this carefully. After the sad and tragic passing of Robin Williams, I had to take to writing this in the hopes that it would shed some light and open some eyes. Many people say that suicide is a selfish act. Selfish is defined as the following: lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with ones own personal profit or pleasure. People who commit suicide are NOT se...lfish! They do not lack the consideration of others, and they do not profit from their own demise nor do they get pleasure from it. Suicide is very real. It is an escape for people who feel that they have lost everything important to them. A person who takes their own life does so to escape from the pain and suffering inside of them. I am not saying it is right or wrong, I am saying that I understand. We don’t talk about mental illness. It is a stigma just like alternative lifestyles, being gay or lesbian, I mean really, pick a taboo topic it is all the same. People who have mental illness don’t always need medication. Often people suffer so deeply on their internal being and really what they need is to have someone to talk them through. Mental illnesses are disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Society today says that if a person has mental illness, they need to be locked up and medicated. Not the case always. While there are some who cannot function in what is referred to as “normal” society, there are others who pretend to function while suffering quietly inside. Such is the case with Robin Williams. Here is a man who made millions laugh on a daily basis; a man who was very open about his addictions and depression, however to see him, you would have never guessed that he was in so much pain. Often time’s people who suffer from depression, addiction, PTSD or a combination of these find ways to cope in everyday life. They put on a happy face, they smile and laugh, and they make others think that things are just fine while the reality is that they are suffering such immense pain and anguish in private. All it takes is one small event, one comment, one bad day to trigger an episode that a person cannot come out of it. They withdraw, they shut down and they want to disappear. Often times we look at those people and we think, oh they will be alright. I will give them space; not always the best thing. While that may be what the person says they want, the reality is that they need someone to be there for them. They need to have that love, that understanding and that support. The next time that you see a friend or a loved one struggling, stop for an extra minute; look at the situation and think to yourself, is it smart to leave them alone or do I really need to push them and be their rock. Often times when you push that person they will get to the breaking point and they will just lose it. Not in the sense of jumping off the cliff so to speak but lose it to a point where they are able to reach back and accept the support you are offering. It is known to be true that people can get through depression. While the depression can always come back and rear its ugly head, that person in that moment needs help. Maybe you are the person who steps up and forces yourself on the other by invading their “space.” You could be the one person to save them in that moment. Don’t be “too busy.” STOP! Reach out your hand and offer the step up. You may have to stretch and it may be uncomfortable, but you might be the only person who saves that person in that moment. Food for thought.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 02:21:24 +0000