For most people, supporting someone struggling with depression doesn’t come super naturally. This can be because of a variety of factors including lack of experience or knowledge about handling depression, discomfort with experiencing their own negative emotions, or simply being unaware that they can truly make a difference in the experience of the person they love.
Before diving into this article, I would like to provide a sensitivity and trigger warning. This article talks about suicide. Please proceed with caution and STOP reading at any point that you may need to.
September is National Suicide Awareness Month. Within the month itself, there is National Suicide Prevention Week (September 4 - September 10) and World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10). The purpose of these events is to raise awareness for the treatment and prevention of suicide, educate those on the warning sides of suicide, and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health treatment. This month fosters collaboration for those impacted by suicide, as well as the mental health community in providing educational resources.
Supporting someone with a mental health diagnosis can be extremely difficult. You might not understand their symptoms or what they are going through or you might be afraid of saying the wrong thing and making them feel worse. There is no specific guidebook on how to help someone. Sure, you have this blog post, many others, and even actual self-help books out there. Those are great, but mental health isn’t cookie-cutter nor is supporting someone through their mental health struggles. I encourage you to gather as much information as possible and see what applies to your loved ones through their journey.
Halloween can be such a fun and exciting time for many individuals. Most kids get excited to dress up as their favorite character and load their bellies with lots of candy. However, what happens when Halloween isn’t a fun time for your child? What happens if they get nervous about the costumes? What happens if they can’t eat most candy because of allergies? What happens when almost everyone at school has paired off for festivities and your child is now excluded?
