Suicide 7: A Mental Health Emergency

Imagine you’re six months pregnant with your first child and the person you love, the person with whom you’ve built a life, wakes you up in the middle of the night convinced there are people in the house. But...there aren’t. He’s convinced you’re being followed. But...you’re not. Where do you turn for help when your mental health crisis is invisible? Jenny Heddin took her husband to the emergency room only to find they weren’t equipped to handle their crisis. Like millions of Americans, they were turned away because there wasn’t an available bed. This week, we hear her story and are joined by our producer, Jackie Danziger, to talk about bed shortages, parity laws and psychiatric boarding. 

Season 2 of Last Day is created in partnership with The Jed Foundation. The Jed Foundation (JED) empowers teens and young adults with the skills and support to grow into healthy, thriving adults. You can find tips, tools and resources for taking care of your emotional health available at: www.jedcares.org/lastday

Resources from the episode:

Jackie’s Reading List:

Emergency Mental Health is a Throwback of the 1950s Emergency Department

Trends in Emergency Room visits

Seattle Times: Public Crisis, Private Toll: The hidden costs of the mental-health industry’s expansion

Treatment Advocacy Center - Beyond Beds 

NAMI - State Mental Health Legislation: Trends, Themes and Effective Practices

Learn more about mental health parity laws and how to submit a complaint or appeal for denied care through the Kennedy Forum’s Parity Registry.

For recommendations on how to report on suicide, visit https://reportingonsuicide.org/.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. Contact one of the resources below for a free, confidential conversation with a trained counselor anytime. 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text line: Text “Connect” to 741-741

The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to https://www.lemonadamedia.com/show/last-day shortly after the air date.

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