Episode 414: “Suicide Loss: Remembering How They Lived” with Carrie Thompson

When the pandemic altered nearly every part of daily life, we wondered what it would mean for those struggling, for those currently fighting to stay alive. A mental health crisis already existed and the pandemic only made it more glaringly obvious. The collective trauma and loss nearly doubled the number of people having thoughts of suicide and experiencing depression compared to previous years.   One bright spot, a moment of tragic optimism, is that this shared experience made talking about mental health almost a normal part of everyday life. We were surprised to see moments where the polite, “How are you?” was not expected to be met with an unassuming “fine.”   Over the course of the next few episodes, in honor of TWLOHA’s Another Day With You campaign and World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10, we want to use this space to have conversations that challenge the lie that says we can’t or shouldn’t talk about suicide. We want to share real-life experiences as they relate to suicide attempts, loss, and ideation. For today’s conversation, we’re chatting with and hearing from Carrie Thompson, who lost her son Ben to suicide two years ago.    Carrie is a mother, a wife, and a high school English teacher, who recently moved from a small town in New Hampshire to the city of Seattle, Washington. As a suicide loss survivor, Carrie is on a quest for understanding and healing. She’s an essayist of “creative nonfiction and sad stories” mostly exploring topics around grief and loss to suicide. A piece she wrote about hiking in honor of her son Ben, titled “The 48 Mountains That Held My Grief” was featured in the New York Times. Her words are honest, unapologetic, and wise. Show Notes (Links of ours and guests):   Download a transcript of this episode at twloha.com/podcast.   Follow TWLOHA on social media at:   twitter.com/TWLOHA instagram.com/twloha/ facebook.com/towriteloveonherarms/   Visit our FIND HELP page of mental health resources at twloha.com/find-help/.   Get connected for free, 24/7 to a trained crisis counselor via Crisis Text Line by texting TWLOHA to 741741.   Connect with our team by emailing [email protected].   Learn more about the podcast and previous episodes at twloha.com/podcast.   Read Carrie’s words by going to medium.com/@carrietnh or  twloha.com/blog/author/carrie-thompson/    Read “The 48 Mountains That Held My Grief” at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/28/opinion/hiking-grief.html.    For resources for suicide loss survivors, visit afsp.org.    To learn more about TWLOHA’s high school program, Between the Bells, go to twloha.com/highschool/.    Learn more about the Another Day With You campaign at twloha.com/wspd.     Visit store.twloha.com/ to purchase merchandise that supports TWLOHA’s mission.   Download The Hopeful, a free daily-use self-care app from TWLOHA, at twloha.com/thehopeful/.   Credits:   This episode of the TWLOHA podcast was hosted by Chad Moses and produced by Rebecca Ebert. Music assistance was provided by James Likeness and Ben Tichenor.