This website is part of MentalHealthAwarenessEducation.com and was started in 2016 as a blog of over 2k blog posts of my grief journey after losing my son, Charles, to suicide.
This page is a guide for those who want to find specific information for themselves, a friend, or a loved one since there is so much here and hard to find.
Use this menu to jump to the right section:
Suicide | Grief | Addiction | Mental Health | Charles
Nine months after my son Charles’ death by suicide, I was still struggling to get out of bed every day. My limbs felt so heavy, it was hard to walk, and even harder to run. But I did.
I had written an article for the newspaper that had taken six months to complete, totaling 1,200 words. It took me so long to write it because I was still processing the loss and I had told myself I wouldn’t send it to the editor until I could end it with a message of hope.
At the first of February 2016, it … Read more...
by Neha Dania, University Student
I still remember my heart instantly dropping when I heard my mother was in the hospital. The Organic Chemistry homework I was working on suddenly felt like the least important thing in the world, and all that I wanted to do was hop on a flight and go home to my mom.
Knowing that the woman who gave birth to you is about to have a life-threatening surgery is a feeling that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Phone calls and facetime were not enough to take away the pain and stress. Every thought … Read more...
by Madison
Four years ago, a feeding tube was carefully threaded through my nose, esophagus, and stomach to deliver 26 vital nutrients. At the same time, my mind wrestled with feelings of betrayal from the attending physicians.
Seen as a last-resort medical intervention, this feeding tube was an attempt to sustain my failing body. My stomach rumbled.
For 25 years, my eating disorder (ED) symptoms raged, leading to this first inpatient stay. I was battling a psychological disorder that had taken over my mind and body, manifesting in an obsession with food, weight, and body image—disrupting my daily life and … Read more...
I can tell you it wasn’t good for me. Something had to change and I had to do the steps to make it happen.
Emotionally it was making me feel sluggish and anxious. I was always feeling like time had slipped away from me.
For my new year’s resolution in January of 2024, I made the pledge that I would not reach for my phone first thing in the morning because it was adding up to be a time suck and I … Read more...
I wrote a post on LinkedIn about my last phone call with my son–the one I didn’t know was my last phone call before his death by suicide. A lovely woman named Catriona Nicholls from Dublin, Ireland wrote this poem below.
She wrote it out right then on my post like my son Charles did when lyrics came to him. No real editing or overthinking it, just writing it out. It reminded me of him and how he operated.
Poem by Catriona Nicholls
I’m sorry I didn’t pick up that day,
I would have if I knew it would turn … Read more...
by Jenny
I wish I didn’t feel this way. It’s an endless mind suck, full of chaos and pain. But, I do. I feel so ashamed that all I wish for is death.
I know all the right things to say, and there are times when it’s just easier to say those “right” things so as not to stress or upset someone, even the therapist.
I instinctively back down, afraid I am draining them, afraid I will somehow be punished (to … Read more...
by “Bernadette”
I’ve been messaging with a young lady who is truly delightful, but also in immense pain. She struggles with suicidality and has teetered precariously on the edge more than a few times. I’m glad to say that she is still here today.
During our chats, she has shared with me feeling isolated and being afraid to ask for help – for fear of those doing the “helping” calling 911. She has reminded me that this is something that should be shared. While it is engrained in most of us that 911 is the go-to for all emergencies, those … Read more...
by Tamara Harvey Braswell
On July 22, 2016, my son Logan crashed his truck into a tree and died from his injuries in intensive care. Each year, the grief hits me in different ways.
This year, the guilt hit me like a freight train. Logan had his share of challenges, including debilitating anxiety and a horrific eating disorder.
I desperately tried to get him the right treatment. Some of it worked and some of it didn’t. In the midst of his struggles, he got into a car crash. He didn’t get another chance to work through his pain.
In year … Read more...
by Michael L. Renner
The power of kindness can not be truly measured. We do not always know how we impact others around us and we would be surprised if we knew how much kindness helps others grow.
It was not my plan it was not my thought
But when the time came it was not for not
I spoke a kind word to a student not mine
I spoke of future and good day wishes divine
She looked at me but could not grin
She looked scared and shattered from thoughts within.
She spent all night not trying to … Read more...
by Miranda
Death is an inevitable part of a nurse’s career. It occurs not only in hospice care settings where death is an expectation but in many other healthcare settings as well. The circumstances surrounding a patient’s death, the level of experience of the nurse, and their coping strategies are all factors that can affect a nurse’s emotions in profound ways.
A study published in 2021 surveyed 160 nurses across four hospital units—emergency department, internal medicine, surgery, and intensive care unit—to assess the impact patient death has on nurses.
Despite only 11% of nurses reporting “that … Read more...
by Jan
Note from AnneMoss Rogers. If you are part of a hospital system, please see Zero Suicide, a model that aims to improve care and outcomes for people at risk of suicide in healthcare systems. Also, take a look at the CAMs care model for compassionate treatment for suicidal patients. Finally, you can reach out to the 741-741 USA crisis text line or USA Prevention Lifeline at 988 if you are in crisis.
It had been an extremely difficult mental health journey leading up to the night of 10/26/23. I had been undergoing therapy with minimal improvement. I … Read more...
Note from AnneMoss: I have heard back from Devin and for now he is safe. If you struggle with thoughts of suicide, the USA Suicide Prevention Lifelines is 988, and the USA/Canada Crisis Text Line is 741-741. USA Warmlines are for nonemergencies but in case you need to talk.
by Devin
I’m a father to two adult children and 1 preteen and have been married for 22 years to the love of my life who ironically is an RN at a mental health facility.
I’m a correctional officer at a prison and I guess the vibes I deal with … Read more...
by Ava Schrage
My most treasured middle school memories begin with the intense aroma of habanero peppers and pineapple. For most, comfort food equates to mac and cheese or hamburgers, but for my father and me, a touch of homemade hot sauce was a taste of home.
I had memorized all the basics to impress him with my knowledge of spicy foods: where everything landed on the Scoville scale when the best time to harvest peppers was, and what lingers in the membranes of the seeds that create that sweet burn on your tongue.
by Kate
Kate was brought up in a cult that didn’t allow medical intervention. She is a person with lived experience who has had suicidal thoughts. For Kate, a big contributing factor to this is her strict upbringing and the conflict that comes that resulted from severing ties with a religion that holds you hostage but also is the only life you’ve ever known.
Do: Listen. Let them voice their emotions. Ask if they would like to make a list of the things that they need, both large and small. Do something on it right away. It will make them feel both cared … Read more...
Stigma kills.
Words matter.
Knowledge is power.
Through education and conversation we CAN change how the world views mental illness and suicide. Will you start by sharing this and helping others learn why every word matters?… Read more...
