DBSAlliance

Nearly 46,000 Americans died by suicide in 2020. That’s one death every 11 minutes.

Coping with the loss of a loved one is challenging. It can also be difficult for people around them to know how to best support them. DBSA Young Adult Council members Olivia Eiler and Jamie Vaughn spoke with two co-facilitators from the Survivors of Suicide (SOS) bereavement support group at UMPC Western Psychiatric Hospital’s STAR-Center in Pittsburgh. They share their personal experiences with suicide loss, offer practical tips for supporting survivors, and discuss resources for survivors.

For Immediate Help:

National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988

Online Resources:

American Association of Suicidology

https://suicidology.org/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

https://afsp.org/

Survivors of Suicide bereavement support group

https://www.starcenter.pitt.edu/clinical-services/survivors-suicide

Jamey Covaleski

412-864-3346

[email protected]

The Dougy Center for Grieving Children & Families

https://www.dougy.org/

The Child Mind Institute

https://childmind.org/topics/suicide-self-harm/

Books for Adults:

After Suicide Loss: Coping with Your Grief by Bob Baugher and Jack Jordan

No Time to Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One by Carla Fine

When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner

Why People Die by Suicide by Thomas Joiner

History of a Suicide: My Sister’s Unfinished Life by Jill Bialosky

I’m Sorry For Your Loss: Hope and Guidance in Managing Your Grief by Lillian L. Meyers, Ph.D.

My Son…My Son: A Guide to Healing After Death, Loss, or Suicide by Iris Bolton

Voices of Healing and Hope: Conversations on Grief after Suicide by Iris Bolton

Cracked, Not Broken: Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt by Kevin Hines

It’s OK That You’re Not OK: Meeting grief and loss in a culture that doesn’t understand by Megan Devine

Grief One Day at a Time: 365 Meditations to Help You Heal After Loss by Alan Wolfelt, Ph.D.

A Time to Grieve: Meditations for Healing After the Death of a Loved One by Carol Staudacher

Shattered: Surviving the Loss of a Child by Gary Roe

Signs by Laura Lynne Jackson

Books for Children:

Suicide Loss: What Teens Need to Know by Terri Erbacher, Ph.D. & Tony Salvatore, MA

But I Didn't Get to Say Goodbye: For Parents and Professionals Helping Child Suicide Survivors by Barbara Rubel

My Uncle Keith Died by Carol Ann Loehr, Julianne Costentino & James Mojonnier

Many people know that social media can have a negative effect on mental health. Doomscrooling, negative comments, cyberbullying, and tragic news events are pervasive in the realm of social media. Living with depression or bipolar can make navigating these spaces difficult, especially when peers try to find content/resources to support their mental wellness.

DBSA sat down with Clayton Echard to discuss social media, mental health, and how to find wellness and support in the digital world. Clayton is a mental health and wellness advocate, personal trainer, athlete, and star of season 26 of The Bachelor. Clayton also talks about how he positively uses social media, the connection between body dysmorphia and mental health, and the importance of sharing your wellness journey.

You can find Clayton's work on Instagram.

Support DBSA Today.

Bonus Episode from our DBSA podcast, I'm Living Proof: A Letter to my Younger Self.

Make sure to subscribe to ILP on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Mik knew something was wrong when at ten years old, she experienced suicidal ideation. What started as something she couldn't understand took her on a journey which ended up with her diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Now, Mik bravely shares her experience through humor and educational videos online and discusses her journey and activism with us.

MiK B is a mental health advocate who lives with bipolar disorder, anxiety, and ADHD. Mik shares her story online with others through TikTok, Instagram, and her website. She is passionate about positively impacting the mental health world through sharing her personal experiences and providing a community for people living with Bipolar disorder. Find her on Instagram and Tiktok @mikb_itme.

Read Mik's letter

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Submit your letter

In December 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on the impact of Covid-19 on our growing youth mental health crisis. Today, 1 in 5 children ages 3 to 17 experience some form of mental health or behavioral challenge. Access to adequate mental health resources for parents and children is pivotal in combatting the youth mental health crisis and reducing stigma.  

DBSA discusses the effects of our youth mental health crisis with Dr. Nicole Brown. Dr. Brown is the Chief Health Officer at Strong Children Wellness, a health researcher focusing on enhancing care and service coordination for children who have experienced trauma and chronic mental health needs, and a member of the DBSA Board of Directors. In this conversation, we explore the types of mental health challenges youth experience today, such as depression and ADHD, how parents can advocate for their children, work with their pediatrician to get the proper mental health care, and how this crisis affects underserved communities.  

Footnotes:

You can support DBSA by making a gift today 

Learn more about Dr. Nicole Brown  

Discover the Balanced Mind Parent Network, an online community for parents and caregivers of a child living with a mental health condition  

Meet the Mood Crew® and explore activities designed to help your child understand their moods and emotions. 

The holiday season -- with its expectations for socializing, gift-giving, and forced merriment -- can present significant challenges to peers living with depression and bipolar attempting to manage their moods during such a hectic period. , and, even after the holiday's end, the challenges to mental health wellness can loom even larger. In this podcast, we'll listen to John Budin, MD, a licensed psychiatrist, offer his insights and helpful advice on how to manage post-holiday depression, deal with Seasonal Affective Disorder, set effective goals for the new year, and prepare ourselves for a happy and productive 2022.   

Dr. Martha Sajatovic and DBSA Peer Kimberly Allen discuss shared decision-making and its impact on treatment plans and treatment options for peers living with depression or bipolar disorder. Learn about the importance of medication adherence, how to educate yourself about treatment options like Long-Acting Injectables, and hear Kimberly's experience with working with clinicians and mental health professionals to find the best treatment options for her.

Dr. Martha Sajatovic is a Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio, and a member of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Scientific Advisory Board. From UHHospitals.org: "Dr. Sajatovic is a researcher, educator, and clinician who has devoted herself to studying and treating traditionally, hard-to-treat populations with central nervous system disorders. Dr. Sajatovic's research interests have focused on neuropsychiatric outcomes of brain disorders across the lifespan, including epilepsy, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and other types of dementia and Parkinson's disease."

Kimberly Allen is a licensed addiction treatment professional, senior consultant at Via Positiva, and a mental health advocate. As an experienced mental health advocate, Kimberly currently serves as a Lived Experience Advisor, collaborating with leading academic institutions and advocacy organizations on patient-centered research.

Support DBSA

DBSA would like to thank Novus Medical Education for supporting this episode.

DBSA’s Young Adult Council member Olivia sat down with Johnny to discuss living with depression and dealing with an unsupportive workplace. For many young adults, the first job out of college can be a challenging adjustment. For Johnny, his first work experience happened to coincide with his first severe depressive episode. Olivia and Johnny discuss what it took for Johnny to be able to advocate for himself and what companies should do to be more supportive of their employees.

Support DBSA today: https://www.dbsalliance.org/donate

Learn more about YAC: https://www.dbsalliance.org/support/young-adults/

A Peer Support Specialist is a professional with lived mental health experience who is trained and certified to provide help and encouragement for others who are also working towards wellness. Listen and learn from Douglas  Hulst, DBSA’s Peer Specialist Workforce Development Program Manager, as he dives into the concept of peer support and how it benefits those living with depression or bipolar. Also hear from Jennifer, a Peer Support Specialist, who talks about  her journey to become a certified specialist, where she works, and how her role impacts peers. 

Learn more about Peer Support Specialists: https://www.dbsalliance.org/get-involved/training/whats-a-peer-specialist/

Learn about  DBSA’s Peer Support Specialist Course:

https://www.dbsalliance.org/get-involved/training/

This is a special preview of the first episode of our new I'm Living Proof Podcast Series.

In our first episode of I’m Living Proof: A Letter to My Younger Self, we hear from Olivia, DBSA Young Adult Council member. Olivia’s letter to her younger self describes the challenges she had in confiding in others and asking for help. Olivia describes her journey towards wellness from hospitalization to her work with DBSA support groups. Her letter reminds us the path to wellness is not always a straight line but rather one that it is trending upwards.

Resources

DBSA Support Groups

DBSA offers support groups across the United States. Find out more about DBSA support groups here.

DBSA Young Adult Council

The DBSA Young Adult Council is a group of young adults (ages 18-30) who advise DBSA and create their own content to share with other young adults living with mood disorders. Find out more about the DBSA Young Adult Council (YAC) here.

If you live with depression or bipolar, when things are at their worst it can feel like things will never get better. It may be when you are first diagnosed or during a difficult event, or for no particular reason that you can pinpoint at all.

What we do know is that these times do pass, and that you are not alone. In fact, when we take time to reflect on our experiences and circumstances, we often find, with overwhelming proof, the strength we have shown during some of our greatest challenges.

Learn more about our new series

Download the first episode May 1, 2021