Leaving The Valley

We've heard it before. "Therapy can't work for me! My problems are too complicated!" Or "My friends know me better." Or a million other reasons why people are skeptical to reach out to a mental health professional. In terms of suicide prevention, you've got to be willing to give help a chance. It's quite common for people, even suicidal people, to drop out of therapy after only a couple of sessions. Like any other endeavor, in order for therapy to be successful, you've got to put in the work. Research backs this up. Therapy can benefit everyone, including you.

Suicide is a leading cause of death for moms within the first year of childbirth. Many people have a hard time understanding how a new mom could contemplate taking her own life. However, there are many parts of being a new parent that overlap with conditions that are known to increase the likelihood of a suicide attempt. Lack of sleep, stress, feeling isolated, feeling like the situation is hopeless, or that you are somehow a burden are hugely related to suicidal thoughts. Additionally, giving birth can be a triggering experience and bring up unresolved trauma from the past. Many new parents may have a preexisting mental health condition that can put them at greater risk for developing Postpartum Depression or Postpartum Anxiety which may also increase their likelihood for suicidal thoughts.

In the third part of our conversation with Sherry Duson from the Center for Postpartum Family Health, we focus on some of the most hot button issues for new parents. For example, breastfeeding versus formula, infertility, and marital satisfaction post-child. These issues can be deeply polarizing. The strong emotions around these topics may prevent many new parents from speaking up when confronted with challenges. In general, the less people are able to talk about their struggles the more isolated they may become. We know isolation is hugely related to suicidal thought. Being a new parent is already pretty lonely. Long nights, lack of sleep, and the pressures of being a "perfect" parent are often overwhelming. Many commonplace challenges for parents can contribute to PMADs (Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders).

In this episode, we continue to explore the relationship between Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) and suicide with our guest Sherry Duson. Sherry is the founder and director of The Center for Postpartum Family Health in Houston, TX. She shares her knowledge on the sense of shame some women feel around the struggles of being a new mom. In those moments, it is easy to feel isolated and to get trapped in a train of thought that says you are an unfit mother. We know that feeling isolated is related to suicidal thoughts.

Suicide is a leading cause of maternal death in the first year following childbirth. Yet, the importance of postpartum mental health is rarely discussed during pregnancy. Some moms get the "Baby Blues," others may develop Postpartum Depression or Postpartum Anxiety. Let's talk about Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) and how it relates to maternal suicide. We have a special guest with us for this episode, Sherry Duson. Sherry is the Founder and Director of The Center for Postpartum Family Health in Houston, TX. Sherry gives us insight into why so many new moms feel blindsided by the transition into motherhood. She also talks about the symptoms of Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Anxiety, and other disorders that may occur during pregnancy and in the postpartum period.

We continue our conversation with Whitcomb Terpening of The Semicolon Group on grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide. In this episode, we focus on the idea of how you "should" remember someone who ended their own life. In general, when someone passes we don't normally focus on the way they died. If someone has a heart attack, we don't typically dwell on the fact that their heart gave out. However, with suicide, many people narrow in on the manner of the individual's death. This may be, in part, because many people feel a degree of responsibility or guilt when someone they care about dies by suicide. How can we grapple with these feelings?

We've spent the majority of our podcast covering suicide prevention. This week, we're focusing on mourning the loss of someone to suicide. Particularly, we're looking at feelings of grief. We have a special guest with us this week, Whitcomb Terpening - Licensed Clinical Social Work Supervisor. Grief is a normal part of mourning any death. However, when someone dies of suicide, grief may be complicated by feelings of guilt, responsibility, anger, or shame. Society frowns on discussing suicide. This may leave those who are already grieving a suicide even more isolated. Additionally, there is often a faulty idea of a "timeline" by which we should be done grieving.

As people re-enter their workplaces after over a year of social distancing, it is inevitable that our mental health needs may look a little different than they did before the pandemic. Employers may need to be more sensitive towards the emotional needs of their employees and this may include an emphasis on suicide prevention. Even on the job there are things we can do to prevent suicide. If you notice a co-worker is struggling, it is appropriate to check-in with them. Many people fear asking if someone is suicidal. It is much harder to live with the feelings of regret for not taking red flags seriously than the temporary discomfort of one awkward conversation. Some jobs have higher risks of suicide amongst employees. In every office, but especially for high-risk professions, there must be an emphasis on preventing suicide from the top down.

Our mission on Leaving The Valley is to help reduce suicides. You simply cannot have a conversation about suicide prevention and not talk about firearms. Accessibility of a firearm leads to an increased risk of suicide. Over half of all suicides occur with a firearm. Additionally, the majority of deaths caused by guns are suicide (Not homicides.) The decision to end one's life is often impulsive. When a firearm is accessible, people may impulsively use it in a suicide attempt. When a weapon is used in a suicide attempt, it is almost always lethal.

Unfortunately, 15% of people with a mental illness will die by suicide. Mental illness is a real illness and widely misunderstood. Like any major illness, if left untreated, having a mental illness can be fatal. We wanted to talk with experts on this subject, so we consulted with Dr. Mitch and Dr. Sharon Young. They are a husband and wife team with over four decades of expertise in treating those with mental illness. In this episode, we discuss what mental illness is, how to treat it, and how to prevent suicide for those with mental illness.