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♪ >>>
♪ >>> WELCOME BACK.
SEPTEMBER IS SUICIDE AWARENESS
MONTH, AND THIS TOPIC
UNFORTUNATELY IS A PERSONAL ONE
FOR ME.
FOR ME.
FOR ME. 13 YEARS AGO, MY FATHER JOE
WILKERSON TOOK HIS OWN LIFE.
HE WAS A GOOD MAN A GREAT
FATHER WITH THE SAME DEMONS
MANY ARE WRESTLING WITH RIGHT
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. DEPRESSION COMBINED WITH JOB
LOSS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND A
REAL ABSENCE OF HOPE LED TO A
DECISION THAT LEFT OUR FAMILY
DEVASTATED.
DEVASTATED. I REALIZED WITH THIS PANDEMIC,
MANY OTHERS ARE FEELING THE
SAME LOSS OF HOPE AND
ISOLATION, SO I TALKED WITH
ELLIS NICHOLS .
>> EVERYBODY IS HAVING
INCREASED STRESS RIGHT NOW.
VIRTUALLY EVERYBODY IS FEELING
MORE STRESSED RIGHT NOW.
ALMOST EVERY BODY HAS HAD A
REDUCTION IN THEIR COPING
MECHANISMS.
MECHANISMS. MOST EVERYBODY IS FEELING
ISOLATED, AND THAT'S PART OF
THIS PANDEMIC.
THIS PANDEMIC. >> SO WE ARE TALKING MY FATHER.
HE DID LOSE HIS JOB.
IT WAS DURING THE RECESSION
WHEN IT HAPPENED, ICY
PARALLELS, LOTTA PEOPLE LOSING
THEIR JOBS BECAUSE OF THE
PANDEMIC, WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS
YOU WOULD LOOK FOR IN PEOPLE
WHO MAY BE STRUGGLING?
>> CERTAINLY WANT TO WATCH OUT
FOR ANYBODY WHO SEEMS
PARTICULARLY HOPELESS.
PARTICULARLY HOPELESS. IF YOU HAVE A SENSE THAT THEY
ARE NOT ENJOYING THINGS ARE NOT
DOING THINGS THEY NORMALLY
ENJOY, IF THEY ARE ISOLATING
THEMSELVES, AND I SEE A LOT OF
THAT RIGHT NOW.
I WOULD BE PARTICULARLY
CONCERNED.
CONCERNED. ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
AND I WOULD SAY ALSO ALMOST
ANYBODY HAS A RISK OF SUICIDAL
IDEATION. THAT IS NOT AN
UNCOMMON THING.
UNCOMMON THING. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK.
>> SO HOW CAN WE CONVEY THE
MESSAGE TO OUR FRIENDS AND
FAMILY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE
HERE TO HELP BECAUSE SOME
PEOPLE FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE?
EVERYTHING IS FINE.
PRIDE GETS IN THE WAY.
WHAT IS A WAY WE CAN TACKLE THAT
OR APPROACH THAT?
>> I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT HELPS IS RECOGNIZING HOW
NORMAL IT IS TO BE STRESSED IN
THIS PANDEMIC, AND I THINK EVEN
SHARING, USING A LITTLE BIT OF
SELF-DISCLOSURE ABOUT HOW
YOU'RE EXPERIENCING STRESS AND
HOW IT'S AFFECTING YOU, TO HELP
PEOPLE OPEN UP A LITTLE BIT.
FURTHERMORE, IF YOU SEE
SOMEBODY WHO'S REALLY APPEARING
TO CRACK, DON'T BE AFRAID ASKING
ARE YOU THINKING OF HURTING
YOURSELF?
YOURSELF?
YOURSELF? DO YOU HAVE THOUGHTS OF
SUICIDE?
SUICIDE?
SUICIDE? IT'S NOT A BAD THING TO ASK,
AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GIVE
THEM THE IDEA.
>> THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
SOMETIMES YOU THINK I DON'T
WANT TO PUT THAT IDEA IN THEIR
MIND, AND I WAS THINKING WITH
MY DADS SITUATION, HE DID LOSE
HIS JOB, HE DID START USING
MORE ALCOHOL AFTER THAT TO COPE
WITH THE SADNESS, AND WE WERE
PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, AND I
JUST DID NOT EVER THINK TO ASK
ARE YOU OKAY?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> BUT I DON'T WANT TO BEAT
MYSELF UP OVER IT FOR NOT
ASKING.
ASKING.
ASKING. SORRY.
SORRY.
SORRY. >>
SORRY. >> ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY, AND
IT DOESN'T EVEN OCCUR TO US TO
ASK FOR PEOPLE THAT APPEAR VERY
STRONG OR ARE VERY SELF-
SUFFICIENT.
SUFFICIENT. >> RIGHT BACK.
>> IT WILL ALMOST NEVER OCCUR
TO US TO ASK THAT QUESTION, SO
THAT'S VERY, VERY
UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT AS WE LOOK
TOWARDS THE FUTURE, IT'S NOT
GOING TO HURT TO ASK.
IF THAT'S JUST NOT AN ISSUE,
THAT WILL BECOME CLEAR, AND IF
IT IS AN ISSUE, PEOPLE MAY FEEL
ENORMOUS RELIEF THAT YOU JUST
ASKED THE QUESTION.
>> WHAT ARE THE ROLES OF THE
THERAPISTS AND THOSE RESOURCES
WE CAN USE, AND HOW CAN THEY
HELP?
HELP?
HELP? >>
HELP? >> WELL, WE'RE SO FORTUNATE TO
HAVE A COMMUNITY FULL OF
RESOURCES.
RESOURCES. THERE'S AN RANGE OF OPTIONS
AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE.
CERTAINLY, WE HAVE CRISIS
LINES, AND I IMAGINE THAT NUMBER
WILL BE PUT UP HOPEFULLY.
THERE'S ALSO SUPPORT GROUPS
THROUGH NAMI WASHINGTON AND
THEIR AFFILIATES, WE HAVE A
RANGE OF OPTIONS IN TERMS OF
THERAPY ALL ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY
. FOR SOME PEOPLE, MEDICATION
IS AN ANSWER THAT CAN HELP
CONTRIBUTE TO WELL-BEING AS
WELL.
WELL.
WELL. >>
WELL. >> I WOULD JUST WISH WE HAD
THAT HELP FOR HIM, BUT I'M
HOPING THIS CAN SHED A LIGHT ON
THIS TOPIC AND LET PEOPLE KNOW
TOO.
TOO.
TOO. IT
TOO. IT HAPPENS TO THE BEST OF US,
WORST OF US, ALL OF US, AND
WHAT CAN SURVIVORS, SOMEONE
LIKE ME, ANY OTHER FAMILY
MEMBERS AND FRIENDS, WHAT CAN
WE DO OR HOW CAN WE BE HELPED?
MAYBE THOSE ARE TWO SEPARATE
QUESTIONS, BUT WHERE DO WE GO
FROM HERE KIND OF THING?
>> AGAIN, OUR COMMUNITY IS SO
FULL OF RICH RESOURCES THAT WE
HAVE SUPPORT GROUPS AVAILABLE
THROUGH NAMI WASHINGTON, WE
HAVE THERAPY AVAILABLE TO HELP
PEOPLE SORT OUT AND LET GO OF
THE GUILT WE OFTEN FEEL IN
THESE SITUATIONS BECAUSE IT'S
NEVER YOUR FAULT.
RIGHT NOW, IT'S NEVER YOUR
FAULT, AND IT MAY TAKE SOME
HELP AND SUPPORT TO RECOGNIZE
THAT AND LET GO OF THE GUILT
YOU MAY EXPERIENCE IN A
SITUATION LIKE THIS.
>> IT IS HARD BECAUSE I KNOW,
YOU JUST REPLAY THE DAY IN YOUR
HEAD.
HEAD.
HEAD. WHAT COULD I HAVE DONE
DIFFERENTLY?
DIFFERENTLY? BUT THAT DOES NOTHING FOR YOU
TO JUST TRY TO CHERISH THE
MOMENTS WE HAD.
ANOTHER THING I WANTED TO BRING
UP, THERE IS SUCH A STIGMA
AROUND MENTAL HEALTH AND
SUICIDE.
SUICIDE.
SUICIDE. I KNOW IT'S GETTING BETTER THE
MORE WE TALK ABOUT IT , AND I
DON'T NECESSARILY SEE IT AS A
STIGMA, BUT I GET EMBARRASSED
SOMETIMES TO TELL PEOPLE MY
FATHER COMMITTED SUICIDE
BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THEY ARE
GOING TO JUDGE HIM, AND HE WAS
AN AMAZING PERSON, AMAZING
FATHER, SO IT'S JUST, I DON'T
KNOW.
KNOW.
KNOW. I'M
KNOW. I'M GLAD I CAN USE MY PLATFORM
TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT IT IS
STILL HARD 13 YEARS LATER, WE
WERE VERY CLOSE.
HE WAS AWESOME.
>> I THINK EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE
DOING IS SO PROFOUNDLY HELPFUL,
WHICH IS TO SHARE YOUR STORY,
TO SHOW THIS CAN HAPPEN TO
ANYBODY.
ANYBODY.
ANYBODY. AND THESE EXPERIENCES ARE NOT
DISCRIMINATING JUST IN A
CERTAIN AGE OR GENDER OR ANY,
ANY GROUP IN OUR COMMUNITY.
CAN HAPPEN TO ANYBODY.
AND SO, I JUST LOVE THAT YOU
ARE SHARING THAT STORY, AND I
BELIEVE THAT IF WE ALL ARE
SHARING OUR STORIES, THAT
STIGMA WILL JUST BE BUSTED, AND
IT WILL BE BUSTED WIDE OPEN,
AND PEOPLE WILL RECOGNIZE THAT
SUICIDAL IDEATIONS CAN HAPPEN
TO ANYBODY, AND SUICIDE CAN
HAPPEN IN ANY