Join Me To Raise Awareness During National Suicide Prevention Week.

According to the numbers, it’s extremely likely that if you’re reading this, you have either struggled with mental health or know a loved one who has. Yet it’s still not something we talk about. And because we don’t talk about it openly, stigma about mental health exists and support isn’t widely, or knowingly, available.

In light of National Suicide Prevention Week, September 8 – 14, every day I will be releasing a new program or piece of content to raise awareness about mental health.

SUNDAY, SEPT.  8 – “Common Myths About Suicide Debunked” – an introduction to the reality of suicide.

MONDAY, SEPT.  9 –  A) Join AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) in a LiveTweet with USA Today and Mayo Clinic at 1p.m EST – http://www.afsp.org/news-events/in-the-news/afsp-usa-today-mayo-clinic-to-hold-tweetchat-during-national-suicide-prevention-week

B) “15 Tweetable Facts About Mental Health” – leveraging social media to build awareness, spread facts, and dispel stigma.

TUESDAY, SEPT.  10 – National Suicide Prevention Day. I will be walking around NYC talking to people about mental health and suicide to a) learn stories, b) understand the reality of people’s perception regarding suicide, and c) share resources. This experience will be documented and shared at the end of the week via a blog post, videos, and pictures.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11 – “Celebrities Misunderstood” – a list of celebrities who have struggled or are struggling with mental illness as well as those who have taken their own lives due to mental illness.

THURSDAY, SEPT.  12 – “Suicide: Putting Names to the Numbers” – Highlighting the stories of anonymous individuals who have attempted suicide, and are willing to talk about their journeys. (please get in touch with me directly if you are willing to share your story. I will guarantee your anonymity)

FRIDAY, SEPT.  13 –  A) “Bullying and Suicide” – exploring the effects of bullying and how it positively correlates with the rate of suicide.

B) Letter Writing – Looking forward to writing letters to those I know who have struggled with mental health, depression or who have lost loved ones to suicide. I ask all of you to join me in spreading some understanding, empathy and most importantly love.

SATURDAY, SEPT.  14 – Summary of the week and summary of my day in NYC talking with people about mental health and suicide. This will include pictures, videos, signs, and results from surveys. I will also post resources that you can always turn to when and if you ever need them.

In combination with the above, I’m calling on all friends, acquaintances, and loved ones who have ever struggled with mental health, cared about someone who has, or in general thinks the issue is an important one. Join me in creating a strong foundation so we can eliminate stigma, communicate effectively and openly, and help prevent suicide.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP!!

1)      If you would like to support my campaign for awareness and get involved, please let me know. Comment here, send me a message, email, or text. I’d love to have your help and support.

2)      Help drive awareness by sharing this note.

3)      Take some time to think about national suicide prevention week, and what it means to you and your loved ones.

All of this will be hosted on my blog (www.aquarterlifecrisisblog.com) or a surprise platform. But you’ll definitely see it on my twitter- @sahajkohli.

(If you have read to this point and are a slow reader, like me, someone has already taken their life in the U.S., as someone does every 13.7 minutes.)

**If you’d like to share this via social media, please share this public note on Facebook. Thanks!

national mental health awareness month

“As a nation, it is up to all of us to know the signs of mental health issues and lend a hand to those who are struggling. Shame and stigma too often leave people feeling like there is no place to turn. We need to make sure they know that asking for help is not a sign of weakness — it is a sign of strength.” – President Obama

On April 30, 2013, President Barack Obama became the first president to sign a proclamation declaring May as National Mental Health Awareness Month.

To find treatment services nearby, call 1-800-662-HELP. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers immediate assistance for all Americans, including service members and veterans, at 1-800-273-TALK.

the r-word

I cringe at the sound of the r-word. It jars on my ears and sends a shiver down my spine.

I don’t think that people who use the word are always using it to be malicious. But that is what is so bothersome – the natural, nonchalant manner in which I hear it being used; the way it just rolls right off the tongue, no hesitation.

Most of the time, I hear it being used to talk about a situation or an idea. Sometimes, I’ve heard it as a way to call someone a name. But rarely do I hear it being used as a way to categorize, in an insulting way, a person with an intellectual disability (but this doesn’t mean it’s not). Regardless of why the word is being used, I do believe that everyone who uses it is ignorant: lacking knowledge or awareness in general.

I hear people using the r-word all the time. These are people who are very close to me like my family and close friends, and these are people who I bump into occasionally or meet for the first time.

The r-word is “retarded”.

In order to rewire your thoughts on the r-word, you have to understand that there are legitimate arguments against your defenses for using it. So, I’m going to break these down and provide a new perspective.

Common defenses for using the r-word –

1) “I was just implying that it’s stupid/foolish/absurd.”

                   – If you are trying to say something is stupid, foolish or absurd then say something is stupid, foolish or absurd.

2) “It’s politically correct” or “It’s a medical term.”

                   – Actually, it’s not. On October 5, 2010, President Obama signed a bill into federal law known as Rosa’s Law. The law removes the terms “mentally retarded” and “mental retardation” from federal health, education and labor policy. It replaces these with “intellectual disability” and “individual with an intellectual disability” which are terms using people first language, an effort to decrease dehumanization by using evolved language that puts humans first and disabilities second.

                   – The DSM-5 that is coming out in May 2013 is actually revising the section called “mental retardation” to be renamed “intellectual disability”.

3) “I wasn’t using it that way.”

                   – What way? It doesn’t matter the context or the intention. It is always inappropriate to use racial slurs, sexist/sexual slurs, or other insulting and derogatory words about any characteristic, trait, or condition of a person. Why is this any different?

I don’t have to have a personal experience or relationship with intellectual disability to detest the r-word. I am fully aware of the power of words. It’s important to be conscious of how we speak, the words we choose and the way we express our thoughts.

I hope, now, you’ll think twice before using it and speak up when you hear it being used.

Like Nick said, the brother of Rosa (who inspired Rosa’s Law), “What you call people is how you treat them.  If we change the words, maybe it will be the start of a new attitude towards people with disabilities.”

Spread the word to end the word.

my letter to hyundai re: suicide ad

Dear Hyundai,

I’m sure at this point after the uproar from your ad you are aware of the phenomenon known as suicide contagion. So, you’re aware that the suggestion of suicide in the media can actually increase suicide rates, right?

I’d like to know how the morning meeting, where this advertisement was finalized, played out?

“I have an idea! Let’s have a man try to kill himself in the car, because, you know, he won’t be able to.”

“Great idea! What could be dangerous about that? After all anybody who tries to attempt this will only attempt it in a Hyundai  ix35″

“Of course. This will definitely increase our sales because people who are depressed or are suffering from a mental illness will be compelled to buy this car. Especially since people who want to commit suicide make sure to do so in a manner that is 100% impossible.”

“This is the best advertising strategy for a car that emits water! We’re going to be rich!”

No, but seriously, was the “green, save the planet” angle too overdone?

Are you aware that your advertisement did NOT relay to me that I should buy your car because it has 100% water emission? Rather, when I saw it I wasn’t even aware it was for the car. Your advertisement was a how-to commit suicide tutorial, and either planted in my head that this is a doable option in life OR confirmed that I can take things into my own hands if I want to deal with whatever I am dealing with. The ad shouldn’t exist, period, but even so, nowhere in it is there a warning that one should not try this at home or education regarding suicide, depression or mental illnesses in general.

I have never worked in the marketing field, but even I know that the goal of an advertisement is to make me WANT your product. You can do this in a number of ways – tell me that it will make me feel really good, show me that someone I like/admire has it, or convince me that I absolutely need it. Let’s break this down, shall we?

The advertisement was crafted to some extent. You took a middle class, middle aged, suburbia living, family man – someone who is highly relatable to the average American – and sent an unspoken message that said “Hey, you, average American, I know you’re a little unhappy with your life.”

Watching this unhappy man try to escape his life by  sitting in his car, in his garage attempting suicide does not make me feel good. In fact, it makes me think of  several unpleasant things- my own father and how I hope he is never that miserable, people I have lost who have committed suicide, and people I love who have attempted suicide. The only “feel good” message you sent out to the universe was “Are you feeling bad? There’s a way out. Feel better!”

Your target audience in this advertisement were unhappy individuals looking for an escape. You basically told the world, “Here’s how you escape life, but don’t use this car because it won’t work.” On a selfish level, how the hell were you expecting to make money off of that message?

Marketing is not just a platform to sell your product it’s a platform to tell a story and spread a message. You have/had the power to say anything that thousands and thousands of people would read, watch or listen to and you chose this? Shame. On. You.

Sincerely,

Disgusted.

For all of you who are unaware of the advertisement, please check out this article on Forbes and this article on PsychCentral.

Also, I really encourage you to read this personal letter to Hyundai by Holly Brockwell, a wordpress blogger, who watched the advertisement and was forced to relive her father’s suicide. Read the whole thing, but brace yourself.

The video is no longer available on YouTube but you can see it here. Warning: it’s emotionally taxing if you’ve been impacted by suicide in any capacity.

“What we call mental illness isn’t always just an illness. It can be a communication, it can be a way to work something out” – Lars and The Real Girl

what is mental health?

Unlike mental health, physical health is always tangible. You can see the impairment, the illness, the suffering, the pain. It can be anything from a tumor to a sprained ankle, a heart attack to a bruised finger, an inflamed tendon to the flu. And sometimes when your brain, an organ in your body, has become susceptible to an illness, mental health and physical health are intertwined –   examples including traumatic brain injuries, Alzheimer’s, or multiple sclerosis.

Mental health however can be so abstract since it is multifaceted. It’s not just the tangible illnesses a doctor can diagnose like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It’s not just in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) or not in the DSM. It’s not just something you can answer a few questions about and decide that there’s a name for it.

A lot of the times the mental impairments, the suffering and the pain are considered intangible; therefore, it’s not worth mentioning, addressing or talking about. Right? No!

Mental health is affected by your environment, your biology, and your genes and though the most serious mental health concerns are the diagnosable mental illnesses, it is much more complicated than that.

Mental health is something every single person in this world deals with whether they are aware of it or not. It consists of your fears, your dreams, your stress, your emotional well-being, your anxiety, your behavioral habits/adjustments, your self-esteem, your resilience, your discipline, your thinking and communication skills, and much more.

Whether these are mild, moderate or chronically debilitating, and to what extent it needs addressing is something only the individual can know. And that is why it is incredibly important for everyone to tap into their mental state and assess what’s going on, regularly.

I, We

When ‘I’ is replaced by ‘We’ even illness becomes wellness…