Jamie never expected to be a mental health advocate. He was working in the industry that had always been his dream career: surfing apparel. But things changed after several days spent taking care of a young woman he didn’t know, who was struggling with suicidal thoughts, substance use disorder, and self-harm. Renee had carved the word “fuckup” onto her arms but couldn’t get into a treatment facility for several days. Jamie’s essay about their time together became a viral sensation on MySpace, which led the way to t-shirt sales to help fund Renee’s recovery. From there, the essay became a large, successful mental health advocacy non-profit.

Jamie tells that story as well as why he ultimately left TWLOHA, how he perseveres through bleak suicide statistics, and what he’s doing about a recent breakup.

Visit Jamie's website at JamieTworkowski.com. Follow Jamie on Twitter @jamietworkowski and on Instagram @jamietworkowski. Check out Jamie's new clothing company Needs An Ocean at NeedsAnOcean.com. To learn more about To Write Love On Her Arms and to read Jamie's original story, visit twloha.com.

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Hey, remember, you’re part of Depresh Mode and we want to hear what you want to hear about. What guests and issues would you like to have covered in a future episode? Write us at [email protected].

Help is available right away.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255, 1-800-273-TALK

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.

International suicide hotline numbers available here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

The Depresh Mode newsletter is available twice a week. Subscribe for free and stay up to date on the show and mental health issues. https://johnmoe.substack.com/

John's acclaimed memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is available here. https://read.macmillan.com/lp/the-hilarious-world-of-depression/

Find the show on Twitter @depreshpod and Instagram @depreshpod.

John is on Twitter @johnmoe.