Lived experience

Can a young child really have suicidal thoughts?  This is a question I’m sometimes asked when I’m presenting educational programs in my role as the Virginia Area Director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. It’s a question I would have been likely to ask, myself, years ago.

I didn’t realize, then, how important that word would become to me: I was a survivor.

Around the same time I was feeling suicidal, I started drawing my thoughts and feelings, and posting them on Instagram as a comic series about living with depression. I wanted to show some of the (sometimes darker) humor and absurdity in feeling sad or anxious all the time, and named my series “Just Peachy Comics.”

The following is an abridged version of an article comedian Chris Gethard wrote following the premiere of his acclaimed HBO special Career Suicide. The original article can be found here.

How do you ask for help, when you don’t even know how to explain what you’re going through to yourself?

"I still pass that section of the highway all the time. I stand tall today, affected by my experience, but still alive."

It is okay not to be okay. No one is perfect. We all have something we’re dealing with. The more we share, the easier it is to heal and live a healthy life.

Before an Attempt

Advice for someone struggling

What Supported Your Recovery?

Advice for Family and Friends

Are You Okay?

Don't Be Afraid to Ask

Asking Reduces Risk

Research Video Spotlight: Involving Those with Lived Experience

Ahmedani discusses outreach to those who are at risk for suicide.