Depression hurts. If you have a loved one who is severely depressed, you see this hurt and experience some of the hopelessness of watching them suffer. Living with someone who is depressed is often hard. Depression is often debilitating and can begin to take away a...
Suicide
Signs of Depression
Everyone has good days and bad days in their life. While we obviously would prefer to have only good days, the realities of life dictate that we will have ups and downs. For example, a death of a close friend may bring a period of grief and sadness, while a wedding...
Depression Symptoms
Some people think that you should be able to just “snap out of it” when you become depressed. While this strategy may work if you are “in a funk” or having a bad day, it doesn’t work for depression. Depression can be debilitating and if left untreated can be...
How serious are suicidal thoughts? And what can we do about them?
Intrusive thoughts are thoughts that seem to pop into your head at the most random times, and they are typically perceived as odd, taboo, or scary. These types of thoughts are seen in several different types of mental health disorders when they begin to cause...
Suicide Risks and Teenagers
Life can be challenging for teenagers. Their brains are still developing, their bodies are changing, and their hormones are fluctuating. During this stage of life, teenagers struggle to establish meaningful relationships outside of the family and try to find the group...
Self-Harm
Self-harm occurs when someone purposely hurts or injures themselves. Some of the common methods include cutting yourself with a knife or razor blade or burning or picking at your skin. People who self-harm tend to do so because they are in a great deal of emotional...
How To Help Someone With Depression
Seeing someone you care for experience the life-altering pain of depression can be an overwhelming experience. Searching for the "right" thing to do can be equally overwhelming as you're bombarded with varying advice and information. Before anything else, it's...
Surviving a Suicide
Overcoming a Suicide: Allow yourself time to grieve. Don’t deny the pain. Attending the funeral can be helpful in allowing you to accept the death and begin the process of saying goodbye. Be aware of your body’s reactions. Psychosomatic problems may emerge. Do not...
Warning Signs of Suicide
When someone commits suicide, family and friends are often left wondering “why?”. Many ask the question “What did I miss?” or “What could I have done to prevent them from committing suicide?” While no one can prevent all suicides or know all of the factors that lead a...
Tools to Help Protect You against Suicidal Thoughts
Combat Suicidal Thoughts by: Re-Establish Hope - Suicide is often described as a permanent solution to a temporary problem. When someone is contemplating suicide they often see death as the only way out of their problems. Hope, on the other hand, is often the antidote...