Tuesdays Pearl: Making ourselves aware of suicide and talking about it openly is the only way to prevent it. As heartbroken as I am about Dr. Sophia Yins passing, I am also determined to educate myself about suicide. It’s not easy to face it, after all. The subject itself is taboo and even draped in superstition (“If I bring it up, it will happen.”) We must shed that fear and deal with it head on. Suicide is most often associated with mental illness. All of us in the animal behavior community should be well equipped to understand that mental illness has to be actively addressed if it’s going to get better. It will not get better on its own. We need each other. We need friends, family, neighbors and the grocery cashier. The web of community is crucial for buttressing all of us up so that we’re supported and loved and safe. Please take a look at the website of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. A colleague pointed me to this resource and I’m grateful to know there are steps we in the human community can take to hold each other up. Read about risk factors, research, and intervention. Donate money if you can. Education and earnest openness will help to honor Sophia’s memory.
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 00:28:02 +0000
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