Still trying to wrap my head around all this news. It’s overwhelming. 3 moms, all 3 lost to suicide, all 3 attempted the same way, reported w/in 24hrs, all involving the loss of a child. Zero in the media linking them together.
I’ve shared before that being in this space, ppl send me articles almost every day. I don’t even need alerts on my phone. But you can imagine my horror yesterday when 3 of you separately sent these to me. It felt like the twilight zone…like someone was playing a perverse joke. Though it’s not a joke. It’s real. And somehow (search engine it if you’d like), no one’s linking them. We are hearing abt Covid #s for the 280ish day in a row (yes impt), but, nothing on this. That this isn’t top news is infuriating.
How do we lose 3 moms w their 3 babies this way – NO note left in any of the cases? I’m gonna unapologetically scream this from the mountain tops every time there are tragic stories like these, but here goes again: suicide & intense ideations are most often NOT choices. They’re error impulse msgs when our brains/CNS’s reach a pt of overwhelm. If you’ve felt them, you know. If you haven’t, let me try to explain:
It’s like you’ve lost control of your own body. Like there’s a magnetic pull compelling you to do something, that in your right mind you wouldn’t want to do.
Imagine you were on fire & you saw a pool. Your only thought would be – jump in. That’s what an ideation feels like. Though instead of a pool (trigger warning) it’s sides of buildings, bridges, trains. You are not thinking thru scenarios. It just overtakes you.
And yet, most/all the popular suicide prevention campaigns (check our Stories for examples), are shaming ppl to not make the CHOICE. I’m so mad I want to rip every one of those misinformed posters off the walls, everywhere.
Campaigns need to be created in consult w ppl w lived experiences. Period. And we need to teach ppl what to expect, in advance, so they are prepared…just like we do w fire safety, seat belts, etc. Gonna post our LIFE Saver video & poster again in Stories. Use it. Share it. Ask us to come in & talk abt it. The current campaigns aren’t working!
