Educate someone, learn more yourself and shine your light into this darkness.
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Depression, PTSD and more – the importance of kindness & understanding© Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness MonthWorld Suicide Prevention Day – Saturday, September 10, 2016 – every year, since 2003. I deliberately choose to wait a day to post my own article of support for two reasons:
- So that I could “reblog” and link to the efforts of others, offering some of the memes and articles they have created to give you both a quick hit and an overview of the extent of the problem.
- So that I could honor September 11th – another anniversary of loss and sorrow, as many Americans mourn the missing.
The extent of the mental health problem
What Suicide Actually Is — Read HERE
Nearly 44 million American adults alone, along with millions more children and adults worldwide, struggle with…
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poetry, photos and musings oh my! 
We have Mental Health Awareness Day here in the UK Saturday 8 October 2016.
In America, Mental Health awareness month is in May. IMHO, it would be good for humanity for each country to choose a different month to promote awareness until mental health stigma becomes a thing of the past, and everyone who needs help is not afraid to reach out for it. A world that is WELL – what a concept.
xx,
mgh
Madelyn, it is sad that we have to set aside a month to raise awareness. Education in this area is centuries behind and we must reach a much younger group. Yes, you are right about the concept.
xx,
lf
Behind and going backwards, actually.
There were a few years, early in my career, when I thought people like me were FINALLY making a difference.
Alas! I was wrong about that.
xx,
mgh
As you know, it is so important Polly. Thank you!
Thank you so much for the reblog, Léa. As I replied to your notice on my own blog, I hope people will click to read my introduction, then click the links to read some of the articles I’ve referenced.
We like to sweep sad topics under rugs, but only by talking about suicide will we have the education and understanding to have a shot at changing daunting statistics — ONE PERSON EVERY 40 SECONDS according to the World Health Organization.
As I said, suicide is a sad topic, but dealt with in many amazing ways all over the internet.
xx,
mgh
I’ve also added it to my LinkedIn. I truly wish every one that reads it would reblog it. I wish WP would help spread the word. Alas, I’m not sure that it is the kind of post that they seek to promote, sad isn’t it?
xx,
lf
God bless you! Each of my posts are automatically added to my LinkedIN (tho’ I have no idea where) – and if anyone ever made it to my blog from LI, they’ve never disclosed it. They certainly capture my email address to be able to flood my inbox with their “special offers,” however. ::sigh::
And yes, it is sad that WordPress (and other larger blogging environments) choose to promote “fluffier” posts (meaning, not likely to make anyone have to think about tragedy – except for those of us who are NOT fans of corporate capitalism, that is!)
We do what we can, eh?
xx,
mgh
Despite having my settings, from both blogs, to add my posts to LinkedIN, it isn’t happening. I’m not sure how much longer I will continue to remain there. It seems that I am just not one for social media. C’est la vie.
You are absolutely right. If it doesn’t sell or help to keep people ignorant and focused on things that do not MATTER, they have no interest. We keep trying I guess…
xx,
lf
Those of us with values that focus on something besides counting our sheckels and winning the “things” competition keep trying, in any case.
I’m with you on the socials. It makes me angry to have to keep removing my name from their darned lists – even deleting the blasted things!
Good to have found kindred spirits like you in the blogging community.
xx,
mgh
Shackles never did interest me. As long as I could care for my kids, I felt rich. Having so much taken from me, I could never catch the materialism bug, thank goodness. Social media is a malignancy the repercussions of it will be catastrophic. I’ve been fortunate to find a few kindred spirits in the blog world. Several of them are but an email away.
I certainly would have been wise to take better care of my financial health, but I continued to make the caring choice rather than the financially expedient one – while some of those I thought were friends and colleagues went another way.
Malignant repercussions? Most assuredly, but I doubt I’ll be alive to see the worst of it. God help us ALL.
xx,
mgh
I do understand about the financial vs. caring choices and the few who were really friends understood. Over time I began to understand that I am a true introvert. I love people but I need my space. I also found that I had to stay on my own path whatever it might be and it has led me here. It is the best place for me to be. Yes, the repercussions will be fierce and I doubt that I shall be here for them either. Those running the show have no regard for humanity or nature and neither will remain silent.
xx,
lf
Repercussions — scary thought, yes?
“Really friends” – as I get older I wonder what that really means. I like to think I am a great friend who makes the time when my friends need me, but who knows how it seems to them?
The reality is that we each have 24 hours in a day and some of them need to be spent sleeping, eating, bathing, cleaning, etc. — and too many keeping a roof over our heads. Then there are always times when keeping our own lives on track leaves few moments for much of anything else. Do others understand that, or feel that we are not keeping up our end of the friendship?
I’ve dropped what I could to be there for friends when they reached out for me, but I can’t be universally accessible — nor can they. I wonder how many friendships have drifted apart due to expectations mismatches? I wonder how many friends were thrown together by life events and drift apart when they are no longer thrown together.
In our crazy/busy world where even children need “play dates” to make sure they socialize, we lack the “hang time” it takes for friendships to develop the way they did when I was in college, for example.
I am an extrovert living the life of an introvert since my move here, wondering how new friendships are made and develop as life moves on. Do people really “connect” only through social media anymore?
xx,
mgh