Today, November 20, 2010 is Survivors of Suicide Day and I want to take a moment to write something from someone who has in his official mental health records”History of Multiple Suicide Attempts.”  It was not till I saw that in writing that I really thought and understood what that really meant….  (I’m @#$%ed)  This isn’t true, but at the time, I believed it to be.

Suicide is a reality, in a unreal mind!  It is not to escape life!  At the time we feel suicidal, it seems like the only way to escape our minds, our deep inner pains that seem at the time to be killing us.  There are many reasons for us not to do it!  But walk in the shoes of a suicidal mind and you will quickly learn that our reasoning center of our mind is distorted. Trapped, cornered, scared, not from death but from life. It is a scary time and if the signs are not noticed and help received then the end is suicide!  There is hope, there is recovery!!  No matter how bleak and dark life looks right now, you have to hear and believe …it will get better with you here not gone!!

CABF is competing for a $250,000 grant from The Pepsi Refresh Project during the month of November. The winners will be decided by popular vote. CABF needs your votes every day this month!
We have a chance to help the Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation get a grant of $250,000. A grant just by voting for them… That is money that will go to help children who will grow up understanding mental illness – not like us, who were left in the wind to fight our own fight alone!! 

Warning: This video contains photos of Suicide victims and could be a trigger.

Survivors of Suicide Day is November 20th, a day of healing for those who have lost someone they love to suicide. This video is my way to honor my peers and remembering the Fallen.  (YouTube Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8_2Zpg_JaQ)

Did you know? – In 2010 tragically more than 32,000 men will die as a direct result of prostate cancer.

November has become Movember (Mo= moustache) to raise money for research into prostate cancer and depression. The goal of Movember is to “change the FACE of Men’s Health.”  Since co-occurring illnesses effect our mental health as well as our physical health, I thought I would give my full effort to being part of this “growing movement.”

Title: Glenn To Close

A year ago on October 21, 2009 Glenn and Jessie Close launched the first anti-stigma Public Service Announcement (PSA) from BringChange2Mind. The 30-second PSA that aired on Comcast, Fox Networks, Lifetime, Time Warner Cable and a variety of local affiliates made a great impact on the Mental health Community.

Ron Howard at the camera and John Mayer‘s song “Say” in the background really added to this powerful message.