HOPE.
Let the conversation begin.
Post by Kerry Martin, CEO and Founder of Hope Xchange Nonprofit. On World Mental Health Awareness Day, given the number of people impacted by a killer disease that will claim 11% over our lifetime or about 25,000 American lives each year, Hope Xchange demands spending equality for bipolar disorder, an “invisible” physical illness. There is a glaring mismatch between the enormous impact of bipolar disorder and society’s limited commitment to addressing the impact of this condition. On a federal level, we have not given this condition the attention nor made the investment that could reduce the alarming rate of suicide in the bipolar community as has occurred for other leading causes of death, such as heart disease and cancer. Little research is being done by pharmaceutical firms for bipolar disorder. Although the FDA has approved drugs that are consumed by 30 million people with major depression and which have enriched America’s pharmaceutical companies to the tune of tens of billions of dollars each year, until just recently, no pharmaceutical company has ever been willing to develop a drug for suicidal bipolar depression. It appears that many of the traditional major US companies focused on psychiatry have abandoned the field, including the iconic maker of Prozac, Eli Lilly. The few that remain are focused on the non-bipolar community, and virtually all studies exclude patients at risk of suicide. Next Year Around 50,000 Americans Will Die By Suicide. Half Will Have Bipolar Disorder.Hope for Bipolars Chronicle Series Raises Awareness About Mental Health and Addiction: Part 210/11/2017
I’m Bryan Tillett. I am diagnosed Bipolar I with severe anxiety and depression. I've struggled with not only mental illness but also with addiction. While one never recovers, I now manage my diseases and mentor for Hope Xchange in our HOPE for Bipolars peer mentoring program. I consider my contributions to the chronicles by our mentoring team as a mini “chronicles of intoxication.” This is my second post in this series in which I share my own personal struggles with both bipolar disorder and addition, a story I have told very few to this degree. I am doing so now to raise not only awareness but also in the memory of all those we have lost to to drug addiction and this killer brain disease, which takes up to 50% of those who die by suicide each year. My first post, My Story Begins As Punching Bag At Age of 10, can be read here. I Thought My Illness Was Manageable By Consuming Insane Amounts of AlcoholAt this point in the life, I had been drinking insane amounts of alcohol for years, stemming from my early teens. My mental illness was manageable, or so I thought, by consuming as much alcohol as I could until I usually blacked out. My normal week consisted of missing a few classes at college, due to being either too hung over or depressed to get out of the bed. Living at home with my parents made concealing this difficult but I would usually leave the house before they got home from work. My mood swings were becoming more unstable as my illness progressed without medication. I had recently seen a psychiatrist, but for a variety of reasons, had stopped. The most prominent issue there was the administering of lithium, which caused me intense stomach pains. That, coupled with drinking, made me even sicker. Side Effects of Medications Wreak Havoc On My BodyPost by Brianna Yates, volunteer HOPE for Bipolar Loved Ones mentor and mental health advocate for Hope Xchange. Your Story Is Your Life and It Is Worth More Than You ThinkEveryone has a story. We’ve all heard this so many times before by people who mean well, but what does it really mean? No matter how enthusiastic this phrase can be said, I’m sure many of us perceive this statement as your story doesn’t matter. The way I see it, your story is a collection of your life experiences, some amazing, others heart breaking, and many in between. Your story is your life and it’s worth more than what you think! When you’re trying to find your place and your voice in a BIG world, how discouraging is it to be constantly told that you are like a raindrop in the midst of the ocean? We need to hear more statements that refer to us as individuals. Replacing the “everyone” with “you” makes all the difference. It makes a comment that more personal to us, making us more willing to receive and act on it. Going back to the phrase that I have been expanding on this far, what we are not told (and need to hear) is, “you have a story that is unique, significant, and deserves to be heard.” If you never hear it, then my friend, it is my message to you! Without this, we come to believe that our stories are unworthy of sharing, that they are both a bother and a burden to others; so we either (a) don’t think to share them or (b) refrain from sharing them altogether. This has to change. Why? I find that author, Dean Borgman (2003), said it best, “The point is: a sense of present and coming significance cannot wait; delayed significance will not do. Significance is a human requirement for adolescents and adults." Importance of Accepting Your StoryI’m Bryan Tillett. I am diagnosed Bipolar I with severe anxiety and depression. I have struggled with not only mental illness but also addiction. While one never recovers, I now manage my diseases and mentor for Hope Xchange in our HOPE for Bipolars peer mentoring program. I consider my contribution to the first part of this chronicles by our mentoring team as a mini “chronicles of intoxication.” Over several posts, I share my own personal struggle with addiction and bipolar disorder, a story I have told very few to this degree, and I do so to raise not only awareness but also in the memory of all those we have lost to both drug abuse and this killer brain disease, which takes up to 50% of those who die by suicide each year in this country. My Story Begins As Punching Bag At Age of 10I moved to Pungo, Virginia when I was 10 years old. At first, I made friends quickly, but soon what appeared to be a seamless transition from city to country life turned into a nightmare. I was different compared to the other kids in the neighborhood. I dressed differently, listened to different music and spoke differently. Shortly after moving in, I became the neighborhood punching bag. One after the other, the kids in the neighborhood began to bully me. Sadly, it would last for years. It would be seven years before I began to make friends again. This isolation from the age of 10 to my late teens destroyed my self-esteem and confidence. It fueled my mental illness like gasoline to a forest fire. It wasn’t until another four years had passed that I would meet anyone close to home that I could talk to. Living in the country causes one to feel so isolated from the world. This only added to my confusion with life and distanced me from my peers. At High School, I Just Could Not Run Away From Kids Attacking Me Fast EnoughPost by Kaitlyn Fischer, volunteer LGBTQIA+ mental health advocate and blogger for Hope Xchange. I Cringe When I Watch Gay Characters On TVAs a gay woman, whenever I watch gay characters portrayed on television, I can't help but cringe to myself. The characters that Hollywood creates always fit around the same stereotypes: the gay best friend, the sassy fashionista, the “butch” who wears flannels and has a pixie cut, the middle-aged married man who cheats on his wife with another man eventually leading to divorce. None of them are characters that I can relate to. They aren’t realistic, but instead are reinforcing the same stigma that members of the LGBTQIA+ community face every day, calling it entertainment. The most disappointing aspect of of this observation is that it hasn't significantly changed. LGBTQIA+ Community Needs Inspiration and Strength More Than Ever, Especially Our YouthNote this is the third part in a 3-part blog series by Kristian Keefer-McNeil, mother of two children with special needs, mental health advocate at specialneedskids101.com, and volunteer for Hope Xchange, and Kerry Martin, CEO and Founder, of Hope Xchange. Part I, Why Does My Suicidal 11-Year Old’s Mental Illness Matter Less Than Another Child's Physical Illness? can be read here and Part II, "As Field of Psychiatry Grapples with Diagnosing Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder, Our Children and Their Parents Pay the Price," here. 11-Year Old Daughter Confesses “What I Mean Is ... How Would You Feel If I Killed Myself?” To Her MotherHi my name is Kristian and I have an 11-year old daughter with bipolar disorder. She may be young, but she has already experienced suicidal thoughts. As a parent, knowing your child sometimes thinks they would be better off dead is devastating with feelings that cannot be fully put into words. The other day my daughter asked me, “Mom how you would feel if I died?” This question caused my stomach to drop and heart to pound. The thought was so terrifying. I wasn’t quite sure what she meant at that moment. I told her the truth: “I would want to die myself.” She then said, “What I mean is ... how would you feel if I killed myself?" I couldn’t tell my daughter all the emotions I would feel or how much it would crush my soul. I again told her, “I would want to die. I cannot imagine life without you. That would destroy me. Having a child pass away is the worst thing I can imagine anyone ever experiencing.” I then learned she asked a friend the same thing. He emailed me out of his concern for my daughter. Her questioning had me very worried and so I contacted her therapist. Her therapist talked to her and felt that for now she is safe and that we need to simply give her the increase in her current medication time to work. But really is anyone ever safe when they are having suicidal thoughts? As A Mother with Clinical Depression, Anxiety and Aspergers, I Had Been There And Understood As I Tried To Take My LifeBlog post by Brianna Yates, volunteer mental health advocate in our Hope for Mentally Ill program and Kerry Martin, CEO and Founder, Hope Xchange. Reason #1: Suicide Is A Serious Public Health CrisisOne life taken prematurely by suicide is tragic. How much more tragic would over one million lives lost be? This is the number of people whose lives are seized around the world. Between the ages of 15 to 29, suicide is the second leading cause of death (World Health Organization, 2017). As important as the most vulnerable age range is for deaths by suicide, we must be aware that suicide does not discriminate. Anyone from anywhere can fall victim to suicide. Every life matters. Here are a few facts you should know about suicide in the United States:
You can help decrease the number of suicides by taking the time to make yourself aware of the public health epidemic (as you are doing now) and by sharing the information with others. Through your invitation to speak about the issue of suicide, you never know who will be willing to share with you their story of victory or struggle with suicidal thoughts. Let’s talk about it! You can also support Hope Xchange by taking part in the #SixtySecondChallenge, a global initiative that helps to raise funds and awareness about suicide prevention while also providing a sounding board for organizations from around the globe to shift the conversation surrounding suicide from mental illness to public health. It kicked off September 10 (World Suicide Prevention Day) and is running through November 18, 2017 (International Survivors of Suicide Day). The #SixtySecondChallenge encourages everyday people to give those who need an emotional lift a "push-up." It asks participants to record 60 seconds of push-ups in a creative way in the name of suicide awareness, donate much needed suicide-prevention funds, then post the recording to their social media feeds. Additionally, it encourages participants to challenge three friends to also take a minute and save a life by joining them in taking the challenge at sixtysecondchallenge.com. As our CEO and Founder, Kerry Martin, says in the press release about this initiative: "As a suicide survivor, suicide is a public health crisis that goes beyond the mental health community. It is up to each and everyone of us to take responsibility and to be there when someone reaches out for help in order to prevent and reduce successful attempts and, ultimately, save lives. Our children, younger and younger, are ending their lives at heartbreaking rates. This initiative is a global rallying cry for those we have lost far too soon, and for those we can together save.” We are encouraging those who take the challenge on behalf of Hope Xchange to share a statistic at the beginning of their video so we can help raise awareness about suicide while also giving those who are down, a push-up. By way of example, here is a #SixtySecondChallenge video by a mother and daughter in which they shared a statistic on the suicide attempt rate in the bipolar community and did sixty seconds of push-ups in a very endearing and creative way. You can find more statistics about suicide and mental health for our most vulnerable and those at the highest risk of suicide — the bipolar community now thought to account for up to 50% of all suicide — on our About page. Let’s take a minute. Let's save a life. Reason #2: Life Stresses Triggers For Many Suicide AttemptsBlog post by Kerry Martin, CEO and Founder, Hope Xchange Nonprofit. Hope Xchange is honored to be one of 15 featured charities taking part in the #sixtysecondchallenge, a global initiative to raise awareness and funds for suicide prevention. And, as CEO and Founder, I am also incredibly honored to be working with kindred spirits in both the United States and Australia to build collaborative bridges to help drive this effort at such a critical time — every 40 seconds, someone in the world is lost to suicide and every 41 seconds, someone is left wondering why. Hope Xchange's mission is to prevent suicide and improve mental health outcomes in the bipolar community, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable and high risk, our youth and LGBTQIA. It is estimated that bipolar depression accounts for nearly half of all suicides each year in the U.S., with 50% of those with bipolar disorder attempting suicide and 11% to 20% taking their own lives. We are dedicated to changing this. How I Tackled My #SixtySecondChallenge: Lifting Up Hand of Someone DepressedWill You Pick Up the Call to Action?Have you ever seen or heard such a startling piece of data that your heart drops and you just know that today must be the day you reach out and do something? Have you ever felt driven to take action, but unsure of who to reach out to or what could be done to initiate that action? Are you ready to make a heartfelt impact? Making a positive change in someone else’s life may seem like just another thing on your to-do list. Perhaps it presents itself as a financial obligation that threatens your daily coffee indulgence or random spending sprees. Maybe you just aren’t closely associated to a specific cause. Although focusing solely on your own endeavors may seem ideal, it prohibits your ability to see suffering. It’s okay. We have all been there, in a moment where we have chosen not to take action for various personal reasons. But that was yesterday, and this is today. Today, YOU take action. Your opportunity to make changes on behalf of LGBTQIA youth in the bipolar community awaits. This population is at the highest risk of suicide. The Numbers Are Not PrettyI Am Not Ashamed of My Mother’s Overdose: Ending Stigma of Drug Addiction and Mental Illness8/30/2017
On International Overdose Day, we would like to express our gratitude to Kristin Molinaro, Volunteer Program Coordinator for Hope for Mentally Ill, for her guest post sharing a very personal story about her mother’s death from a drug overdose. From the Hope Xchange family, our heartfelt condolences for your loss and we’re sure your mother would be so proud of all that you do to help other families not go through what you did Krissy. I can recall July 11, 2005 — the day my mother died from a drug overdose — like it was yesterday. Just the day before I had a lovely conversation with her about my upcoming birthday and having lunch with her new granddaughter. The world felt shiny and new. My mom was excited to be a grandmother and loved spending time with her Ava. On that day, I did not hear from my mother which was odd as we had made plans to have lunch the day before. My mom had been battling an addiction to alcohol and prescription painkillers for many years and had moved up to heroin. She was living in a hovel in a fellow addict’s basement when I received the call that forever altered my existence. I Knew She Was Gone the Instant I Got the CallOur gratitude to Sameen Mahmood, a volunteer mental health advocate in our Hope for Mentally Ill program, for her guest post this week. As a senior in high school, she inspires our team with her contagious enthusiasm and compassion. Learn more about this amazing young girl and what motivates her to give back here. If you’re one of the millions of students returning to school this fall, you may be suffering from some “back-to-school anxiety.” Not only is this completely normal — you are NOT alone! — but it also can be combated and overcome so you can make school a place where you can focus on what really matters: your future. Step 1: Do Not Be Afraid to Ask For HelpThis could be academic, mental, or any other kind of help. School staff, including counselors and teachers, are there to help you. They have an important role: to answer your questions, guide, and teach you. If you need help with anything, ASK!
Rather than not asking and knowing, asking questions and getting answers will help relieve some anxiety. If you feel too shy or embarrassed — again, you’re not alone as I was in your same shoes for over 10 years! —, be kind to yourself. Keep in mind that the person you will be asking will probably not remember talking to you within the next 10 minutes. This statement isn’t meant to offend you. Staff are generally very busy people and have other things on their minds, so they can’t help it. If you thought you were too awkward, it really isn’t a big deal. No one will actively try to remember that moment ever. By the next hour, it’ll have completely slipped their minds. So, ASK! Ask your staff, teachers, and counselors. You deserve to have your questions answered. Transgender Man Gives Birth Exposing Complete Ignorance About Sexual Identity and Gender Dysphoria8/23/2017
Our gratitude to Tiffany Magana, a volunteer mental health advocate in our Hope for Mentally Ill program, for her very moving guest post this week. This story is beautiful in many respects. Trystan Reese has been with his partner Biff Chaplow for seven years now. Biff is a social worker that used to work with homeless individuals and currently supports individuals with mental health challenges. Trystan is currently working as a social justice professional. Both Trystan and Biff regularly blog on their website, biffandi.com. They currently have two adopted children, who, prior to the adoption were their niece and nephew. Trystan and Biff adopted the two children after discovering they were living in an abusive environment. On July 14, they welcomed their first biological child into the world. Throughout the pregnancy, Trystan made video documentation of his experience, adding commentary along the way. Once his documentation was posted to the internet, via major news sources, debate erupted. The issue? Trystan is a transgender man. One social media outlet, Facebook, has been the platform that has allowed individuals on a worldwide level to respond. What was supposed to be a joyous and exciting moment for this couple turned into something that was not expected. The video, titled “Man Gives Birth,” received an abundance of hate. Hundreds felt the need to express their opinions, which varied from how “Trystan is wrong”, ”Trystan is a woman,” and that “they need help.” The anticipated public commentary was expected to be congratulatory and joyous, and yet, it was not. Does Anyone Deserve to Hear This?Follow up post by Hope Xchange's #130ReasonsWhyNot social media team, Renee Stewart, Lucia Martínez Rojas, Diana Good and Kerry Martin, to our “Enter Our #130ReasonsWhyNot Contest to Win and Prevent Suicide” post announcing our five contest winners, sharing their reasons why not along with the personal story behind why this campaign means so much to the volunteer who was behind it all. And the Winners Are ...Five shout outs and our heartfelt gratitude to the winners of our #130ReasonsWhyNot Contest, Pansy Angevine, Shoshana Moed, Helene Portela, Lexey Lutz, and Yvette Balderas. Emails are on the way to your inboxes notifying you of your prizes: Pansy, a beautiful Terrarium, Shoshana, Helene and Lexey, a gift of your choosing from our online Hope Xchange SHOP, and Yvette, a signed copy of best-selling author, Natasha Tracy's book, "Lost Marbles: Insights into my Life with Depression and Bipolar," with a personal note from Natasha made out to you. We would also like to thank all of those who entered our contest. It was no easy task to pick the top 5! The winning reasons have been paired with images and warning signs, and will be shared across our social media channels beginning on September 4th, which is the final week of our 130 day campaign, and also the first full week of September Suicide Awareness Month. See below for a sneak peek at Reasons 126 to 130, and please read on to hear from the amazing mother who was the inspiration for our #130ReasonsWhyNot campaign. Reasons 126 and 127: Fifth Element and Fantastic FourthReasons 128 and 129: Third Charmer and Runner UpReason 130: Our Grand FinaleReflecting On The Sunlight And Thunderstorms That Accompany Borderline Personality Disorder8/15/2017
Heartfelt thanks to Megan Banning, an amazing volunteer mental health advocate for Hope Xchange, for sharing her personal story on her life growing up and living with, and accepting, her borderline personality disorder diagnosis. We wish you nothing but sunlight and smiles. I’ve been borderline for as long as I can remember. In kindergarten, I recall standing under great white oak trees on the playground thinking, there’s something different about me. I don’t belong here. In middle school, I felt a deep depression that none of my friends understood. And, I spent my years in high school living with a burning anger towards the world. It Felt Like My Life Was Over. This Was It.
Our gratitude to Brandi Douglas, a volunteer LGBTQIA mental health advocate and blogger for Hope Xchange, who also is a member of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, for her guest post this week. Suicide Among Young Native Americans Nearly Double National RateFor many individuals, envisioning what the Native American population is up to nowadays seems like a hazy, uneducated discussion. Are they riding along the plains on their horses, war cries being hollered, as characterized in the black and white movies of past? Are they huddled around a fire, passing around a peace pipe and telling creation stories? Or are they relaxing, feet kicked up, reaping the benefits of their tribe’s casino revenue? They simply must be thriving, right? However romanticized and often skewed the idea around the Native American’s current experience is, there is one that not many Non-Native individuals are talking about: the Native community and suicide. According to Santhanam and Krigger (2015), research by the Center for Disease control indicates a staggering 22.5% of every 100,000 deaths in the Native American community is attributed to suicide, which is practically double the national average. Among those suicides, young men between the ages of 15-24 are the most affected. As Someone Born Into This Community, I See The TraumaOur gratitude to Kristin Molinaro, the Volunteer Program Coordinator for our Hope for Mentally Ill mental health advocacy program and proud mum of three beautiful children for her guest post this week. Summer is coming to a close and my children already have their schedules for the year. Check. I’ve brought them new school supplies. Check. I’ve got them new clothes. Check. I’ve devised a plan to talk to them about bullying and suicide. Check. I've warned them about the Blue Whale Challenge. Have you? Have You Talked to Your Kids About Suicide And Bullying?Not so many of us are comfortable broaching the subject of suicide with our children, but as the school year begins, now is the time to sit your kids down and have that conversation. With cyber bullying on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, and the Blue Whale challenge in full effect, our children are at an increased risk of depression and suicide. Suicide is now the third leading cause of death in adolescents and second among college students. Most people think suicide cannot happen in their families, but it can. Back-to-School Blues Growing PhenomenonStudies have shown that teens between the ages of 14 to 18 have a greater risk of suicide in the fall months than in summer. School can be difficult as children and teens struggle to find their place in the world, try to obtain perfect grades to get into the college of their dreams, and grapple with peer pressure. It is no secret that heading back to school in September brings on many difficult emotions. 1 in 4 Chance of Being Cyberbullied If Child Owns SmartPhoneWe extend our heartfelt thanks to Brandi Douglas, a new volunteer LGBTQIA Mental Health Advocate & Blogger for Hope Xchange, for sharing her response to the passing of Chester Bennington and how that lead her to join our family. Chester Bennington Dead. Possible Suicide?It was a good day. No wait, it had been a wonderful day. I had caught up on my work, was getting a bit ahead for the next week when I clicked on my internet browser’s home screen and saw the news. This couldn’t be real. Chester Bennington dead. Possible suicide? Instantly, any work I was pondering slipped out of my thoughts and onto the floor. Convinced it was yet another celebrity internet hoax, I began to research. Outlet after outlet. Chester Bennington dies. Linkin Park lead singer dies, suicide. Lead singer of Linkin Park commits suicide on fellow singer and friend Chris Cornell’s birthday. One page after the other, the same news, the same ending. My heart fell into a place I did not know existed. In that moment I didn’t quite know what to do, so I switched on some live streaming music of Linkin Park. I juggled between that and YouTube videos. YouTube videos and texts to my friends. Texts to friends, texts to my mother (whom I had introduced to Linkin Park) and then, back to my own thoughts. In a moment’s notice, I was frantic over the news and didn’t know quite how to process it. When a Celebrity’s Suicide Hits HomeTop 10 Most Popular Mental Health Blog Posts of 2017 from Hope Xchange - Our Summer Must Reads8/1/2017
Given summer is rapidly drawing to a close - ugh - we thought it would be fun to bring you our top 10 most read blog posts so far this year. Which post impacted you the most and why? Please post in the comment's section below. Note: posts are separated by category, not popularity. Advocacy Posts on Behalf of our CommunityWe extend our heartfelt thanks to Kaitlyn Fischer, a volunteer LGBTQA+ Mental Health Advocate & Blogger for Hope Xchange, for bravely sharing her story about her own mental illnesses and the symptoms she experiences. As someone who lives with numerous mental illnesses — Anxiety, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) — for me, the hidden symptoms of my mental illnesses are often worse than the obvious ones. This is because the noticeable symptoms are just that: noticeable. People compile these symptoms in a list and assign a label to them without a second thought. They are easily identified. But, the symptoms that my mind and body hide are the most dangerous for me because they aren't talked about as often. They are overlooked, dismissed, mislabeled, and not taken seriously. Yet, these symptoms eat away at me, affecting every minute of my day. These symptoms are ones that need to be spoken about and viewed as just as valid as any obvious symptoms are. Symptom #1: ForgetfulnessHope Xchange extends its heartfelt gratitude to Rebecca Lombardo, a volunteer mentor in our Hope for Bipolar's program, for sharing her story on how she found her life purpose after her suicide attempt in 2013. Rebecca is also a published author, Huffington Post blogger, contributor for The Mighty, and Voices for Change 2.0 podcast host. You can learn more about Rebecca and her mental health advocacy work on her website at rebeccalombardo.com. My Suicide Attempt Radically Changes My PerspectiveI’ve often struggled with finding my true purpose. It wasn’t until I truly hit rock bottom that I started to become more self aware. In June of 2013, I succumbed to the symptoms of my illness, a bipolar diagnosis I've been battling since 19. I firmly believed that I was not capable of doing anything worthwhile in this lifetime. I decided that my family and friends would be better off without me around and I attempted suicide. I will never forget the look on my husband’s face while they worked on me in the ER. Even thinking about it now gets me extremely emotional. I’m incredibly lucky that I wasn’t successful that day as it has allowed me to put my life into the proper perspective. With a great deal of time to reflect, I came to the realization that I had a voice. With that voice, I would try to change the way people perceive mental illness. I would begin my journey of trying to end the stigma. My Journey to End Mental Health Stigma BeginsHope Xchange extends its heartfelt thanks to Danni Yang, our amazing social media and marketing intern, for sharing her story of growing up in the Asian-American community and her perspective on the interplay between cultural stereotypes, stigma and reaching out for help during minority mental health awareness month. In the popular Broadway hit “Hamilton,”Lin Manuel champions immigrants with the popular lyric “immigrants, we get the job done.” No one exemplified this notion more in my life than my mother, who came to this country at the age of 35 after living her entire life in China. She barely spoke the language, needed to re-start her medical training, and had a three-year old baby at home. I would watch her study for her boards after working 8-10 hours a day, yet still manage to send me to school in the mornings. Her story comes to mind every time I am reviewing for a test until 3 AM, when I think about my future life plans, and when I am frustrated at the way my life is going. If she can achieve all of this, then certainly I have no excuse to give up. What Happens When You Are In Middle School and You Think You’re Not Asian Enough?Our gratitude to our guest writers, Patricia Hanson, en route to a PhD in School Psychology, and Nia Jones, en route to an MA in Counseling Psychology and the New Programs and Volunteer Manager for Hope Xchange, for today’s article on why those in the black community who are struggling with mental health issues are not reaching out for help and what can be done. Yesterday’s post is one account of why and today’s is another, a deeply-moving perspective from those living within in the community. Let Us Start With Historical Community ValuesSince the beginning of time, blacks have had to be strong and resilient. Stigma exists within the community because throughout history blacks have taken pride in overcoming any and everything thrown our way. Slaves did not have therapists or SSRIs. During slavery, we could not show our weakness in any way. We had to hold onto strength in the face of adversity. We could not afford to stick out like a sore thumb. Civil rights activists were not able to go seek counseling when faced with anxiety about their next protest, and blacks today are almost never referred to as mentally ill in the media. Today, Nothing Has Changed. When Someone in Our Community is Shot, We Are Expected to Maintain Our Cool.Do I Give Up and Become a Thug? Life as a Black Man Living in America Battling Prejudice and Stigma7/17/2017
Heartfelt gratitude to our guest writer this week, Mark Jones, the proud father of Nia Jones, our New Programs and Volunteer Manager, for reminiscing on a painful time in his past and sharing his story during Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Mark shares his personal experiences and reflective insight on growing up as an African-American, struggling with depression, homelessness, and discrimination and how he overcame the many challenges far too many confront due to prejudice, stereotyping and stigma (read ignorance). I Have Faced Pain, Pressure, and Stigma Because of the Color of My SkinAs an ordained minister, I’ve been dealing with community and societal issues for over 30 years. I have occupied the role of Father, Husband, Ordained Preacher/Pastor, Single Dad, Public School Teacher, and High School Track Coach. In all of these roles, I’ve faced pain, pressure, and stigma because of the color of my skin. Some Say the World Was a Different Place When I Was Born. 63 Years Later, Nothing Has Changed.Blog post by Hope Xchange's #130ReasonsWhyNot social media team, Renee Stewart, Lucia Martínez Rojas, Diana Good and Kerry Martin. In response to the Netflix series "13 Reasons Why," a fictional drama about a 17-year-old who leaves behind audio recordings explaining why she committed suicide, we launched a daily social media campaign, #130ReasonsWhyNot, to share 130 reasons why not to take your own life. The driving force was our concern for the teens across the country struggling after watching it and the real potential for copy-cat suicides (which unfortunately did occur). The show also touched close to home, triggering some we mentor in a very negative way and detrimentally impacting our Hope Xchange family. We are now almost midway through our campaign, with 70 reasons to go. And, while we have hundreds of more reasons we could share, we wanted to ask YOU for your reason! By entering our contest you can win a fun prize if your reason is chosen to be one of our last five. As an added benefit, you can lift someone up who may be struggling and perhaps even save a life. How to Enter Our Contest and Win!1. Check out our previous reasons for the #130ReasonsWhyNot Campaign below as repeated reasons will NOT be selected. Also be sure to follow and like us on Instagram, Twitter and/or Facebook to make sure you're up to date on our latest reasons!
Heartfelt gratitude to our guest writer this week, Erin Macauley, Chief Operations Officer of Suicide Shatters Families, an Australian-based nonprofit raising awareness for mental health and suicide prevention and providing support to suicide survivors. Erin and her organization are also actively involved in Australia's inspiring Challenge 4 Change, a collaborative effort to take action to support mental wellbeing at challenge4change.com.au. First, a disclaimer: I am 36 years old and I don’t date. Ever. Everyone I know is getting married or pregnant. Meanwhile, all I am doing is buying extra iCloud storage so I can take more photos of my dog. Mental Illness Consumes My Life and My Brain |