How I Survived My Son’s Suicide
My husband and I were sitting in a police car when we got the news my son Charles, 20, died by suicide in 2015. That’s the moment I left my former self on a shelf somewhere in the past and this new…
How Parents Can Support a Child With Suicidal Thoughts
As a parent, supporting a child who is thinking about suicide can evoke a lot of different emotions. You may feel scared and not know where to go. You may find yourself experiencing guilt and feeling responsible for what they are going…
Suicide Survivor Stories Empowered Me to Live
I will always remember the first time I heard a suicide attempt survivor describe how they recovered. I was attending a presentation through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) called In Our Own Voice. Three years had passed since my own…
Loving Someone with Suicidal Thoughts
If someone you care about has suicidal thoughts, there are many things you can do to help besides telling them about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, advising them to get professional help, or calling the authorities. (In fact, please don’t call…
How I’ve Survived and Thrived with Suicidal Thoughts
My first suicide attempt seemed to simply happen to me. I write that it happened to me, because that’s what it felt like: an urge that swept down on me and instantly spurred me to action: I fled to the bathroom and…
A Personal Note to Readers of “Speaking of Suicide”
After my last post, a reader submitted a comment that didn’t ask about suicide, or suicidal thoughts, or anything else related to ending one’s life. His words touched me. For one thing, this is a reader who’s submitted comments to this website…
