This topic warrants more time, research, and reflection, but I want to begin sharing my initial reflections here, due to some recent experiences. I’ve been baffled by the irony of mental health stigma in our communities. Especially in my locality for the past 9 years. Washington, DC has probably some of the most “depressed” or Read More
Tag: suicide prevention
I will not cry…
I will cry, and that’s okay. I understand this is not your way… To hand me a tissue, when you see me on the train…. When a tear slides down my cheek, As my forehead hugs the window pane. But if I cry, I can promise you … My spirit will not die. It Read More
Islam and Mental Health: Fighting Stigma while Embracing God…
I’m no scholar of Islam. Although there was a time where I lived and breathed and walked and talked and drank and ate this religion (stealing Yusuf Islam’s words 😊 ) and a time that my greatest dream was to be a scholar of Human Rights in Islam. Dreams change, and sometimes they have to…. Read More
Happy Mental Health Awareness Month!
I had these shoes for nearly five years, come this summer…. I got them during my medical leave that year, a few months after I attempted to take my life and landed myself in a psych ward of a hospital. The shoes became an integral part of my “survival routine,” since then. They have been Read More
“Out of the Darkness”: Take Three ….
Yesterday, I participated in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) 11th Annual “Out of the Darkness’ Community Walk in Washington, DC. The event took place in front of the Lincoln memorial this year, a place with a lot of history, where many important and historic marches and movements have transpired. It was my third Read More
The 2017 AFSP “Out of the Darkness” DC Community Walk
Once again, in the third consecutive year, I am participating in The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) “Out of the Darkness” Community Walk, in Washington, DC. Each year, there are over 40,000 people who die by suicide in the US. It is the AFSP’s goal to reduce the annual suicide rate to 20 Read More
Preventing Suicide…..Harnessing the Power of “Storytelling”
“So you give me the choice between the rope, the gun, the blade, or poison. And blame these attempts upon the surrendered mind….” – 14 year old Elsa {Please Note: The language used in this post is not intended to create triggers, but rather to offer some insight on the brutal truth and reality Read More