15/05/2021
How Meghan Markle Has Already Changed the Way We Talk About Su***de. Meghan's decision to speak openly about her suicidal thoughts challenges a culture of secrecy that has stopped many people from seeking or offering help. The New York Times https://nytimes.com/2021/03/09/well/mind/meghan-markle-suicidal-thoughts.html Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW is a psychotherapist and an associate professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work.
To many people, su***de is unspeakable. Even mental health professionals sometimes do verbal gymnastics to avoid saying the word. That's why Meghan Markle's decision to talk openly about her suicidal thoughts in her interview with Oprah Winfrey has the potential to change the way we all talk about su***de.
By speaking about her experiences, Meghan helped chip away at the stigma that constrains people from disclosing their suicidal thoughts. Her disclosure also educates others about the universality of su***de risk. Nobody is immune, whether they live in a palace or in poverty. But many people keep suicidal thoughts to themselves, while friends, family and even mental health professionals often don't ask those in distress if they're considering su***de. (…)
Meghan said she asked a senior member of the royal family about the possibility of being hospitalized for her mental health problems but said that this person refused in order to protect the family’s image. She said she was too scared to be left alone, worried that she might end her life. So she confided in Prince Harry, who supported her emotionally but didn't share the extent of her troubles with his family. "I guess I was ashamed of admitting it to them, and I don't know whether they've had the same feelings or thoughts," he told Ms. Winfrey. "I have no idea. It's a very trapping environment that a lot of them are stuck in."
This is why Meghan's disclosure is a gift to so many strangers. You don't have to be royalty to be trapped into silence. According to one 2015 study, almost 10 million American adults had seriously considered su***de during the previous year; a 2019 survey found that almost one in five high school students had such thoughts. Despite the relatively high prevalence of suicidal thoughts, fewer than half of people experiencing them tell a friend or family member. Among those who died by su***de between 2000 and 2017, only about one in three had seen a therapist or psychiatrist in the past year. (…)
Meghan's story is one of recovery. Near the end of the interview, she credited her husband with saving her life, because of his willingness to step away from the royal family. By sharing her story, she demonstrates that confiding in a loved one, problem-solving with him and making changes in her life took her off the path to su***de.
By encouraging more openness about suicidal thoughts, like Meghan's, we can send the message to others that they are not alone, that change is possible and that people do make it out alive. I'm one of those people. I attempted su***de twice in my 20s. For two decades, I kept my story secret from all but a few people. Now I share my story openly as an act of defiance against stigma. (…)
There is hope. Most people with suicidal thoughts don't make an attempt. Of those who make an attempt and survive, most don't go on to die by su***de. Almost always, life can get better. As Meghan said: "I'm still standing. My hope for people in the takeaway from this is to know that there's another side, to know that life is worth living."
Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, and Oprah Winfrey's highly anticipated multi-part documentary series The Me You Can't See - which features illuminating stories that help lift the veil on the current state of our mental health and emotional well-being - will premiere on May 21 on Apple TV+. https://archewell.com/news/prince-harry-and-oprah-winfrey-set-premiere-date-for-the-me-you-cant-see
Painting: Love - Friendly Art by Angelo Makula www.friendlyart.international. Faith, hope, love, these three. But the greatest of these is love. —Paul of Tarsus. More here https://facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2051011865124543
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