This past week the world lost 2 visionaries. Their creative sparks burned out at their own hand. I feel like we are seeing this more and more . People have committed suicide since time began, but It seems to be an epidemic as of late.
I have battled depression since I was a teenager. I often refer to it as my darkness or my demon. Honestly , what started my depression was just usual teenage bullshit. I hated the way I looked and I always thought I was ugly. I wasn’t the one that boys went after. I always felt second best. I never did anything amazing or Incredible. I liked to write my morbid poetry , which I still like to do.
When I was 14 , I decided I had had enough. What motivated me in that moment, honestly, I don’t know. But I woke up for school and decided to swallow somewhere around 50 asprins. After I did it I immediately regretted it and woke my mother up to tell her I did something stupid. Parent freak out ensued as it should have. They rushed me to the hospital where I got my stomach pumped. If you have never had it done before, it is not a process I recommend. Its sucks . Interestingly, the room I was in when I was in the hospital as a double room. My roommate was a very large girl who was restrained at her wrists and ankles. Now, I have no idea what she was there for, but her guardian with her kept saying ” you should not of done that to your sister with a wire hanger”.
I wanted out of there. But since I was a dumbass and tried to kill myself , it doesn’t work like that . They wanted to send me in an ambulance to a mental hospital. I fought my parents about the ambulance and they ended up being able to drive me.
I was sent to McLean Hospital in Belmont MA. The admissions building was beautiful. It took forever. Once I was checked in , I was taken to the unit I would be staying at . Now remember how I just said that the admissions building was beautiful? Well the unit – not so much. It was a run down building with a mix of troubled teens to kids with severe issues. I clearly remember walking down the hall to go to the bathroom and there were several rooms with doors open and all you could see was a kid and a mattress on the floor. It got better – I get to my room and my room mate is very vocal about Not wanting a room mate. It was at that my point my knight in shining armor saved me. My dad , he told them I am not staying there and that place as not for me. My parents had to sign all sorts of paperwork since I was leaving against doctor orders, but man am I glad they did. I was grounded for a while, actually confined to the porch, but I was so glad not to be there.
I had to go to , well, I was already in therapy. Once a week on Saturdays I had to go . My mother would bring me, then on the way home we would stop at Sanborns candies . We used to joke that going there and getting truffles was my reward for being fucked up.
When my oldest baby was born, I was still a baby. I got pregnant at 17 and when he was born I was 18. Instant adult. It was not easy and I had many dark days. My husband and I had our ups and downs and I am not going to lie, there was definitely moments where I thought it would just be easier if I was not around. I wanted to give my child the best life possible. And here I am , mom of 3 amazing creatures , still feeling as though , I have not done a good job.
I used to think about killing myself all the time, to be honest. Something dramatic. But even after I did try and take my life, I felt like a failure, couldn’t even kill myself right. I feel like my life has not been stress free but I suppose everyone out there could say the same. As much as I would fantasize about ending it all, once I had kids, there was just no way I could ever do it. When I got sick and as the days, weeks, month, now years went by and I was in constant pain and at the mercy of this nameless disease, I really had some dark days.
Now , more than ever, I try looking on the bright side. My mother was such a positive force , she went through hell and back , and despite all of it, she was a always a positive beacon. My biggest cheerleader was always my mom. When I lost her, I feel like a piece of me went along with her.
I struggle with my demon every day. Some days she stays asleep inside and some days she is a raging psycho bitch. I try to find the balance. Despite being almost 38 years old, I feel like the demon will always be a part of me and who I am . The good, the bad and the demon, I guess that is me.
It is frustrating . I feel like lately I do need some professional help. I called numerous doctors that my insurance approved and said were taking new patients, but for the life of me, I cannot get anyone to call me back. This is the start of where the system for mental health in this country is amiss. Most people do not even recognize that they need help. And when we do reach out, there is no assistance.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in America. Each year over 44,000 people in America take their own life. Its incredible to me that this number is so large. Being depressed needs treatment, instead there is this stigma that being depressed is bad. We need to accept that these demons exist within most of us and we need to seek help when they start to emerge. Its not easy , but there is a better way .
For a list of Suicide statistics, click here
We need to stop this stigma and speak up when we see someone in need. Be the positive change in this world.
If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out:
Remember , through every darkness the light is fighting its way though on the other side.