Tag: mental health

New Generation Of Antidepressants On FDA Fast Track

The medications, which are still in development, may be able to help those who have not found success with currently available antidepressants.

Pharmaceutical companies are honing in on the potential of ketamine and more to provide fast-acting antidepressant relief, Healthline reports.

Two examples are Janssen Pharmaceuticals’ esketamine nasal spray and Allergan’s rapastinel (a different, but similarly-acting antidepressant to ketamine), both which the FDA has granted fast-track approval.

On May 5, Janssen (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) announced findings from Phase 3 trials of its esketamine nasal spray. The study administered esketamine (a close relative of ketamine) to adults with treatment-resistant depression, in addition to a “newly initiated oral antidepressant,” and discovered a “statistically significant, clinically meaningful rapid reduction of depressive symptoms” compared to the placebo.

According to a Johnson & Johnson press release, the yet-to-be-approved esketamine nasal spray has the potential to address a “significant unmet need for the more than 30% of people suffering from major depressive disorder who do not respond to… currently available antidepressants.”

Ketamine is typically administered as a veterinary anesthetic, but off-label use of the drug has become more popular for pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression, according to CNN.

The initial findings of Johnson & Johnson’s research, reported by the BBC in April, found that the nasal spray led to “significant” improvements in depressive symptoms in the first 24 hours. By 25 days, the effects had waned, the report noted, but this does not detract the drug’s potential value as a rapid antidepressant treatment to initiate therapy, said the study’s authors.

Another potential new antidepressant on the fast track for FDA approval is rapastinel, developed by Allergan. Currently the drug has completed Phase 2 trials and is expecting the results of its Phase 3 trials in 2019, according to Healthline.

These “rapid-acting therapies” have the potential to be “game-changing in the treatment of depression,” said Allergan executive vice president and chief research and development officer David Nicholson, PhD, in a statement to Healthline. He continued, “Our studies so far demonstrated rapid onset of efficacy within one day, which lasts days after a single dose and a low potential for abuse.”

Another recent report opens even more possibilities for alternative antidepressant therapies. New research demonstrated that psychedelics (specifically LSD, DMT, MDMA and DOI, an amphetamine) showed positive effects on neural plasticity, meaning that neurons were more likely to branch out and connect with one another.

Ketamine is said to have the same effect.

This is a positive development for people living with depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, and PTSD, since research has shown that their brain plasticity and neurite growth are less active.

View the original article at thefix.com

15 June 2018
Lady Gaga Gives Passionate Speech About Mental Health

“I have struggled for a long time, both being public and not public about my mental health issues… But I truly believe that secrets keep you sick.”

Lady Gaga joined her mother on stage at the 10th annual Children Mending Hearts Empathy Rocks fundraiser on Sunday (June 10), where she presented her mother Cynthia Germanotta with the Global Changemakers Award for her role as co-founder of the Born This Way Foundation.

The mother-daughter team established the foundation in 2012, with the goal of empowering youth by providing “genuine opportunities, quality resources, and platforms to make their voices heard.”

Before presenting her mother with the award, Gaga (born Stefani Germanotta) shared her personal stake in the foundation’s work, as well as the driving force behind it.

“I have struggled for a long time, both being public and not public about my mental health issues or my mental illness. But I truly believe that secrets keep you sick,” she said.

The eclectic singer emphasized the importance of kindness. “We [the foundation] bring people together to have real, honest conversations and to be kind. Kindness is not an afterthought to our work. It is the driving power for everything we do,” she said. “To me, almost every problem you can think of can be solved with kindness… Sometimes people think it is weak. It is tremendously powerful.

“It can change the way that we view each other, the way that we view our communities and the way that we work. Even the way that we feel about ourselves, by being kinder to ourselves. We need more kindness in the world.”

She thanked her mother for standing by her through it all, “Thank you, Mom, for not being afraid of my darkest thoughts and for doing what many don’t realize goes very far: just holding my hand and running an organization that helps hold the hands of others and join the hands of others. I love you. Suicidal ideation feels like a spell, and we have to have empathy. Be kind and help each other break the spell and live and thrive.”

Last year, Gaga lent her voice to the Heads Together campaign, the initiative spearheaded by the British Royals—Prince William, Duchess Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry—to de-stigmatize mental illness and encourage people to seek help. The singer video-chatted with Prince William for a promotional video, discussing the importance of caring for one’s mental health and how talking about it can break down the stigma and shame of struggling with it.

Gaga told William that it was gratifying to be able to open up to her fans without shame. “Even though it was hard, it was the best thing that could come out of my mental illness—to share it with other people and let our generation, as well as other generations, know that if you are feeling not well in your mind, you’re not alone. And people that you think would never have a problem, do.”

View the original article at thefix.com

14 June 2018
6 Tools That Empowered Me to Quit My Lifelong Eating Disorder

There are no simple answers or all-encompassing solutions for the complex state of being that is abstinence from compulsive overeating.

I wouldn’t wish an eating disorder on anyone else, not even on those who bullied me about my weight as a child and adult. Growing up both depriving myself of food regularly and being fat was a dual hell for me, and I’ll never forget the many days walking by the school cafeteria and feeling so hungry, inhaling the aromas, having had no breakfast and no lunch to look forward to eating myself. From the time I went on my first diet at 11 years old, I woke up every morning on a diet for decades; it just didn’t always last through the day. People want to label fat people as lazy or foolish, with no concept of the complexity that actually goes into the eating disorders behind changes in size.

Psychology Today reports that eating disorders are the most dangerous of all psychological disorders, and they bring so much pain along with the physical dangers. However, today I am happily in recovery from my compulsive overeating disorder, and I work to stay that way every day, often relying on the practices that empowered me to quit the eating disorder that plagued me since early childhood. Today, I am walking the road of recovery with the help of these tools.

1. Radical Journaling

Writing in my journal has been a passion of mine since I started a “Little House on the Prairie” diary as a kid. It brings me such joy to express my feelings on paper. In addition to keeping a diary for fun, I engage in what I call radical journaling. I’ve made a commitment to myself to write at least three pages every day, and within those specific three or more pages, I write about the deepest thoughts and feelings I’m having that day. These may include thoughts I have about my old tendency to self-destruct or how I feel about the future. I just try to get out the innermost feelings I have. Getting them out on paper helps me to make sense of things and no longer feel that I’m repressing the pain or longings of the day. That’s especially important for me since repressing my feelings can be a trigger for my old behavior.

2. Being Kind to Myself

Compassion for others has always come easy for me, but I was always extremely hard on myself. The simple notion of being kind to myself was a difficult concept to put into practice. I’d spent so much time berating myself for all the times I’d binged and hurt myself. For my own recovery, I had to learn to be kind and extend compassion to myself. And you know what? When I looked back and delved into the origins of my eating disorder in therapy, it was impossible not to have compassion for my younger self and understand how I’d waged a hard battle against my eating disorder before I had the tools to truly recover.

Professionals agree that finding compassion for oneself is a strong tool for recovery. Carla Korn, LMFT, who specializes in treating those with eating disorders and body image issues, advises, “Have compassion for yourself. Disordered eating develops as a way to help a person cope with uncomfortable feeling and emotions. The eating disorder probably helped you to function when you didn’t know a better way to do so.”

3. Maintaining My Motivation

At the start of my recovery from disordered eating, I was very enthusiastic. I was on a sort of beginner’s high and couldn’t wait to see my progress. That’s how I’d also started every diet of my life, too. I soon remembered that it’s impossible to sustain that level of enthusiasm over the long haul. It’s just not practical. Human nature is such that motivation ebbs and flows. So, to stick with my recovery, I had to figure out ways to maintain my motivation.

4. Eating Regularly

Eating may seem like a darn weird tool for staying abstinent from compulsive overeating, but eating regularly is definitely among the more important things I do for my health and recovery each day. By making sure I eat regularly and don’t skip a lot of meals, I avoid getting too hungry, which triggers me to eat far more than I need.

Stacey Rosenfeld, Ph.D., CGP, CEDS, and author of Does Every Woman Have an Eating Disorder? Challenging Our Nation’s Fixation with Food and Weight, cautions that it is important to eat regular meals and snacks to avoid getting too hungry. Feeling hungry and deprived can trigger eating disorder behaviors.

5. Surrounding Myself with Support

I have a team of people who are there to offer me support, which is a huge blessing. If I’m in crisis, or just need someone to be there for me, I know I can turn to a dear friend who coaches me, a therapist, other friends and loved ones, and support groups.

A variety of support groups are available for compulsive overeating and other eating disorders. Overeaters Anonymous is probably the largest group with meetings all over the country, including online, telephone, and face-to-face meetings. The Overeaters Anonymous website allows you to easily search for a meeting that works for your schedule. Other support groups include Compulsive Eaters Anonymous and SMART recovery groups. If you don’t know where to start, you can contact the helpline at the National Eating Disorders Association at 1-800-931-2237.

6. Making Choices Before Temptation Comes

If I wait to see how I’m going to feel about eating an entire chocolate cake before I am sitting alone in a room with a delectable vegan chocolate cake, I’m probably going to want to scarf it down as quickly as possible at the earliest opportunity. However, if I carefully assess the situation and make a decision about eating the cake beforehand, I am able to pause before the desire to binge and whatever else may be fueling the temptation at the moment take over.

Making advance decisions on how to fill the empty feeling and raw pain that fueled the addictive behavior is crucial to my ongoing recovery. Before I am at an event with that chocolate cake or even if I’m going to have it all to myself, I decide exactly how much I am going to eat and why. That doesn’t mean I won’t eat other, healthier foods at the event if I’m still hungry, but I won’t binge on any of my trigger foods. I know what moderation means to me and I choose that before I’m in the heat of the moment when I may be unable to make any rational decisions.

Finally, I’ve found that there are no simple answers or all-encompassing solutions for the complex state of being that is abstinence from compulsive overeating. However, I do know that not one penny spent on the hugely profitable diet industry got me any closer to releasing the pounds than I was before and that relying on these tools has seen me through some difficult times of my recovery. I believe there is hope for anyone.

View the original article at thefix.com

14 June 2018
Ariana Grande Opens Up About PTSD, Anxiety

The pop singer describes how the suicide bombing that occurred at her Manchester concert in May 2017 affected her.

In May 2017, Ariana Grande had just finished performing at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England when a suicide bomb attack occurred in the foyer of the arena, taking the lives of 22 people and injuring many more.

It was an event that she says fueled her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a subject she has a difficult time discussing today.

As the singer told Vogue, “It’s hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss. But, yeah, it’s a real thing. I know those families and my fans, and everyone there experienced a tremendous amount of it as well. Time is the biggest thing. I feel like I shouldn’t even be talking about my own experience—like I shouldn’t even say anything.”

Grande added that looking back on the event, “I don’t think I’ll ever know how to talk about it and not cry.”

Grande told Time, “The processing part” of her grief “is going to take forever.” She was reluctant to talk about the bombing because, “I don’t want to give it that much power.

“Music is supposed to be the safest thing in the world. I think that’s why it’s still so heavy on my heart every single day. I wish there was more that I could fix. You think with time it’ll become easier to talk about. Or you’ll make peace with it. But every day I wait for that peace to come and it’s still very painful.”

Grande admits she’s also been struggling with anxiety before the release of her new album, Sweetener. “I think a lot of people have anxiety, especially right now,” she says. “My anxiety has anxiety…”

Grande then admitted, “I’ve always had anxiety. I’ve never really spoken about it because I thought everyone had it.” She told Time, “I never opened up about it, because I thought that was how life was supposed to feel,” but she added, “when I got home from tour it was the most severe I think it’s ever been.”

Like a lot of artists, Grande threw her emotions into her music, saying that after going into therapy, “I felt more inclined to tap into my feelings because I was spending more time with them. I was talking about them more. I was in therapy more… When I started to take care of myself more, then came balance, and freedom, and joy. It poured out into the music.”

View the original article at thefix.com

13 June 2018
Olivia Munn Details Depression & Anxiety Struggles, Urges People To Seek Help

Munn got candid about her past struggles with depression and anxiety on Instagram.

In just one week, the passing of designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain has reignited the conversation surrounding depression and suicide. And on Thursday, the CDC reported that from 1999 to 2016, the suicide rate in the U.S. increased in “nearly every state.” Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.

In a recent Instagram post, Olivia Munn shared her own experience with depression and anxiety, hoping to encourage people to shed the shame and seek help.

“I have lived with anxiety and sporadic bouts of depression for most of my adult life,” wrote the former Daily Show correspondent. “Ten years ago I tackled it, learned to fully understand it and haven’t felt the dark depths of depression in about a decade. But before that, thoughts of suicide crossed my mind more than a few times.”

Her caption accompanied a list of international suicide hotlines including phone numbers from Argentina, Botswana, and Japan.

“Please don’t hesitate to call for you or someone you think needs help,” she wrote. “A phone call could change everything.”

The former TV journalist, actress and model herself has struggled with managing depression and anxiety. According to a WebMD feature from 2015, Munn consulted a doctor and therapist when she began having panic attacks.

Growing up, depression wasn’t a topic of discussion in her family. Her mother would tell Munn and her siblings to “figure it out,” and they were “never allowed to feel sorry for ourselves.”

Munn also began seeing a hypnotist to help manage her anxiety and trichotillomania (the “hair-pulling disorder”). Munn began working with a trainer and focusing on exercise, which helped with her anxiety.

Munn gave insight as someone who contemplated suicide “more than a few times.”

“For those who don’t understand depression, when someone is in that place it’s not because they want to die, it’s because the ongoing, relentless darkness is too painful to endure anymore,” she wrote in her Instagram post. “You don’t have to suffer from anxiety and depression to feel that low. Something very sad or traumatic can happen to you just once to bring about that feeling of despair.

“But please listen to me,” she continued, “from someone who is telling you that she’s been where you are, when I say that SUICIDE IS NOT THE RIGHT CHOICE.”

Munn hopes to encourage more people to seek support with her message.

“With suicide, there’s no do-overs. Please try every single option you can before making a choice that cannot be undone.”

View the original article at thefix.com

12 June 2018
Surfer Andy Irons' Life, Death & Addiction Struggle Examined In New Doc

“Andy Irons: Kissed by God” sheds light on the champion surfer’s battle with drug addiction and bipolar disorder.

The surfing world knew Andy Irons as a three-time world champion and Surfing Walk Hall of Famer whose pursuit of excellence in his sport reaped four Vans Triple Crown of Surfing and the Billabong Pro Teahupoo in 2010.

Those closest to him remember Irons as a fierce competitor—especially against fellow professional surfer Kelly Slater—whose strength and determination was challenged by mental illness and a dependency on drugs and alcohol that contributed to his untimely death at the age of 32 in 2010.

One of those people, filmmaker Enich Harris, has released a new documentary, Andy Irons: Kissed by God which looks at both his iconic career and personal struggles.

Harris became close with Irons as a member of the film and marketing department for the surf company Billabong, which was Irons’ primary sponsor for the majority of his professional career. Harris would eventually travel the world with Irons, documenting his stratospheric rise in the surfing world and his rivalry with Slater, which was marked equally by admiration and intense drive to be the best.

That aspect of Irons’ life is well known to the surf and sporting world, but the extent of his struggles on dry land are the primary focus of Kissed by God.

Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 18, Irons relied on alcohol and drugs to ward off the powerful shifts in mood and personality that accompany the condition.

Eventually, he turned to opioids, which had a deleterious effect on his life and career: he withdrew from surfing in 2009 to seek treatment for his dependency, and returned the following year for what appeared to be a dramatic return to form with the 2010 win at the Billabong Pro Teahupoo.

But that same year, he reported fell ill, and took himself out of the Rip Curl Pro Search to head home to Hawaii for recuperation. He never made it— authorities found his body in a hotel room in Grapevine, Texas, where he had stopped for a connecting flight.

The medical examiner’s report listed heart attack as the primary cause of death, with “acute mixed drug ingestion” credited as a secondary cause. An autopsy found alprazolam, methadone, traces of methamphetamine and benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, in his system.

Irons’ death was not only a loss to the surfing world; he left behind a wife, Lyndie, who gave birth to their son, Axel, four weeks after his death, as well as his brother, Bruce.

Both appear in the film, and as Harris told the OC Register, their participation provided them with an outlet to touch upon and bring some relief their loss.

“It was such an open wound,” he said. “There was healing that went on in the process, for them talking about him again. It’s very healing for them to know that Andy didn’t just die—his message can go on to help the next generation of kids growing up.”

Harris hopes that younger viewers, especially those that may be enduring similar issues, may find hope in Irons’ story. “Mental illness and drug abuse, that’s the message I want people to take away,” he noted. “It’s not the right road to down.

“If you’re struggling with the same things, talk to people, get help,” said Harris. “He was an amazing, all-powerful human, but those struggles were bigger than him.”

View the original article at thefix.com

12 June 2018
CDC: US Suicide Rate Has Risen 30% Since 1999

The Centers for Disease Control also found that only half of people who died by suicide had been diagnosed with a mental health issue.

A new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that suicide rates have risen by 30% across the United States since 1999.

The report, released Thursday, made another surprising revelation: only half of those who took their own life were diagnosed with a mental health condition. This goes against the commonly-held belief that depression is the main cause of suicide.

The CDC reports that other leading contributors to suicide besides mental illness include struggles in relationships, finances, and substance abuse.

“Suicide rates in the United States have risen nearly 30% since 1999, and mental health conditions are one of several factors contributing to suicide,” wrote CDC researchers in the report. “From 1999 to 2015, suicide rates increased among both sexes, all racial/ethnic groups, and all urbanization levels.”

The heavily covered tragic suicides of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain reflect the increasing risk of suicide by Americans in their age bracket.

“Middle-aged adults had the largest number of suicides and a particularly high increase in suicide rates. These findings are disturbing,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director at the CDC.

The only age group that did not see an increase in suicide rates were those over the age of 75. The increase in suicide rate was otherwise seen across the board, culminating in nearly 45,000 deaths by suicide in 2016.

“What we tried to do in this study was look at the state level at trends over time,” explained Dr. Schuchat. “Unfortunately, the suicide rates went up more than 30% in half of the states.”

The only state that did not have an increase in suicide rate was Nevada, but that state has experienced a historically high suicide rate as is.

“A key thing that we focused on was looking at individuals who committed suicide, comparing those with mental health diagnoses with those who didn’t,” said Dr. Schuchat. “More than half of all the individuals who committed suicide had no mental health diagnoses.”

While these rates seem bleak, Dr. Schuchat believes it’s possible to turn the situation around.

“I have learned that it is important to talk about survivor stories. We know that suicide is preventable,” Schuchat said. “We are in a different era right now, with social media increased and also social isolation is high… We think helping overcome the isolation can improve the connectedness.”

View the original article at thefix.com

11 June 2018
When You're Too Depressed to "Reach Out"
How is it that we’ve all been conditioned to place the burden of action on the one with the mental condition that literally robs us of the ability to act?

Kate Spade. And now Anthony Bourdain. I’m afraid for the next headline. I’m sad for those we lose daily who will never be mourned by millions of fans the world over.

I’m not going to say the word right now. It’s been said too much already in the past few days. It’s going to be said many more in the days to come, and at least one of those times, I’ll be the one using it in a story, but right here and right now? I’m not using it. What I will do is start a conversation that is long overdue.

Just the other night, I saw a headline in which medical experts were warning the general public about the contagion effect I’ve written about before. If you are in a stable place mentally and interested in learning more, this article is a good place to start.

Right now, though, we are reeling from another loss. Those of us who have been in the deepest pits of depression and have had to claw our way back up are hurting because every loss reminds us, even briefly, of how much emotional energy it takes to simply exist when depression lies to us, telling us that we are worthless, lazy, that we always mess everything up, and that the people we love would be better off without us.

Please don’t listen to that voice. Depression is an asshole never to be trusted.

This is normally when I’d tell you to reach out and I’d provide the standard resources, hotlines, and links, but this is a conversation and not a PSA, so we’re trying something different.

I’m not going to tell you to reach out. I know I never do it for myself — I just can’t — when I’m in a deep depression. Telling a depressed person to reach out—especially if they are in the deepest of depressive bouts—is like telling a blind person to try to see harder.

Think about that. How is it that we’ve all been conditioned to place the burden of action on the one with the mental condition that literally robs us of the ability to act? If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a tribe of people who get it to keep tabs on each other, because we all know this is so much harder when we try to go it alone.

This means we all need to start paying attention. We need to watch and listen closely to what those in our personal and social media circles are saying, and sometimes to what they are not.

When people say there were no warning signs after the world has lost another beautiful soul, that’s not always accurate. Sometimes they didn’t see the warning signs or recognize them for what they were. It’s not someone’s fault for missing a sign they didn’t recognize, but we can learn as we go if we actually follow through with this plan and start watching each other’s backs. Depressed people are good at pretending we are fine because EVERYBODY’S FINE, DAMMIT.

But even as we put on the brave front while hoping like hell that no one can see through the act, we also hope someone is paying close enough attention to us to see what’s really going on; we’re hoping that person will be brave enough to call us on our bullshit.

That doesn’t always happen though, so we stop expecting people to notice at all. We keep on pretending.

We are programmed to say “fine” when asked how we are doing by strangers and friends and family alike. Maybe some people mean it when they say it, but we don’t when depression is hitting us hard. It’s just easier to go along with the accepted script.

I’m not going to tell you to reach out, but I hope like hell that you do. I am going to tell you that you are beautiful and loved and ask how I can support you until the fog finally lifts. And I hope you will do the same for me the next time I fall back into the fog. Ask me if I have seen my psychiatrist lately and if I am taking my anxiety and depression meds as recommended, because sometimes my ADHD means I forget.

Let’s stop putting all the responsibility on the depressed person by telling them to reach out and instead take some of that up to share and lighten the load. Let’s start reaching in for each other. It’s time to start reaching in.

If you or someone you know may be at risk for suicide, immediately seek help. You are not alone.

Options include:
- Calling the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-TALK (8255)
- Calling 911
- Calling a friend or family member to stay with you until emergency medical personnel arrive to help you.
View the original article at thefix.com
11 June 2018
Dear Val Kilmer, Anthony Bourdain Did Love Us
Suicide is not about someone wanting to leave their family. It is about them being in so much pain they felt they could not stay.

Trigger warning: The following story discusses a the completed suicide of a celebrity and links to potentially triggering articles. Proceed with caution. If you feel you are at risk and need help, skip the story and get help now. Options include: Calling the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-TALK (8255), calling 911, and calling a friend or family member to stay with you until emergency medical personnel arrive to help you.

The news of celebrity chef and best-selling author Anthony Bourdain’s death by suicide is tragic. He was relatable, he was witty, and he was raw. Bourdain, the host of CNN’s hit show, Anthony Boudain: Parts Unknown, never held back when it came to talking about his struggles with depression, drugs, and staying sober, endearing himself even more to a fanbase that already spanned the globe.

Still, many were shocked to learn of Bourdain’s death on June 8, 2018, just three days after fashion icon Kate Spade’s completed suicide. Suicide rates have risen 30 percent in the United States in less than two decades, says data recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Depression reportedly played a part in both Spade‘s and Bourdain’s deaths.

Mental health advocates have routinely cautioned against describing suicide as selfish because it may trigger a vulnerable individual to act. Hollywood actor Val Kilmer, however, seems to give more weight to what a spiritual guide once told him than the warnings of the CDC, the American Psychological Association (APA), and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Kilmer is now on the receiving end of fan disapproval after publishing a lengthy Facebook post in which he called Bourdain “selfish” for taking himself away from Kilmer and his fans.

“From every corner of the world you were loved. So selfish,” Kilmer wrote. “You’ve given us cause to be so angry.”

It was this spiritual guide, Kilmer says, who once told him a story to explain how “suicide is the most selfish act.”

What Kilmer didn’t realize when he hit publish on this post is exactly how selfish he himself was being by prioritizing his need to publicly call Bourdain out over and above everyone else’s need to avoid triggering suicidal ideations.

Kilmer’s suicide shaming remarks, and those from others who share the same outdated view, are harmful to people who are depressed and vulnerable to suicide contagion.

“Selfishness has nothing to do with it,” says Gigi Griffis, who remembers being so depressed that she wanted to die. When Griffis felt herself being lost to her depression, she remembers thinking the world would be better without her.

“Suicide isn’t something people do to punish those around them…it’s a collection of lies – that you won’t be missed, that you don’t matter, that the world would be a better place without you – that has nothing to do with anyone around you – and everything to do with the depression itself,” Griffis says.

When the brother of bestselling author Rene Denfeld died by suicide in 2005, he left notes for his family members.

“He said he was sorry, he just couldn’t bear life any more,” Denfeld said on twitter. “That’s a tragedy. That’s our collective failure. The pain that killed him is no different than a cancer or illness.”

When the time came to submit the obituary to the local paper, Denfeld was asked to “change his cause of death” due to the paper’s policy of not printing the word “suicide.” Denfeld, determined to honor her brother’s memory with truth, stood her ground.

Denfeld’s focus right now is to remind people who are participating in the online discussions about Spade and Bourdain that insinuating the deceased did not love their survivors is shaming and hurtful. But Kilmer’s comments won’t be on her radar for too long. He’s just one voice. Denfeld would much rather celebrate the progress made in the 13 years since her brother died.

“I come from a family of suicides. Please don’t shame survivors by acting like our loved ones didn’t love us. Suicide is not about someone wanting to leave their family. It is about them being in so much pain they felt they could not stay,” says Denfeld. “A lot has changed, and it’s for the better. We are finally talking about this incredibly common, heart-breaking form of loss. I am thankful for that, because now we can finally sorrow together.”

If you or someone you know may be at risk for suicide, immediately seek help. You are not alone.

Options include:
- Calling the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-TALK (8255)
- Calling 911
- Calling a friend or family member to stay with you until emergency medical personnel arrive to help you.
View the original article at thefix.com
11 June 2018
Anthony Bourdain Dies At 61

The “original rock star of the culinary world” was a celebrated writer and chef who had conquered heroin addiction and became world famous in his forties.

Beloved chef and world-renowned television personality Anthony Bourdain was found dead Friday morning in his hotel in France. He was 61.

CNN confirmed that the TV host died by suicide. He was in France working on an upcoming episode for his long-running food and travel show, Parts Unknown. Bourdain is survived by his 11-year-old daughter, ex-wife Ottavia Busia and girlfriend Asia Argento.

Coined the “original rock star of the culinary world” by the Smithsonian, Bourdain made a name for himself with the publication of a New Yorker article — Don’t Eat Before Reading This—where the chef spilled some “trade secrets” about his time spent in professional kitchens and the cast of characters he encountered.

With book editors intrigued, Bourdain would soon write his literary opus, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. The New York Times bestseller gave outsiders a no holds barred look into the raucous world of cuisine. Infused with Bourdain’s trademark no-nonsense personality, readers were introduced to the chef who was caught up in the frenzied world of sex, drugs, and dinner service.

Bourdain’s celebrity exploded shortly after the release of Kitchen Confidential.

Bourdain detailed in a 2016 Biography interview how the memoir changed his life smack dab in the middle of his forties: “Oh, man, at the age of 44, I was standing in kitchens, not knowing what it was like to go to sleep without being in mortal terror. I was in horrible, endless, irrevocable debt. I had no health insurance. I didn’t pay my taxes. I couldn’t pay my rent. It was a nightmare, but it’s all been different for about 15 years. If it looks like my life is comfortable, well, that’s a very new thing for me.”

He would go on to become one of the most popular celebrity chefs of this generation with a string of food and travel shows such as A Cook’s Tour, No Reservations, The Layover and Parts Unknown.

Bourdain was also open about his battles with addiction. He began using drugs during the early portion of his restaurant career and eventually became an avid heroin user.

He told Biography, “I got off of heroin in the 1980s. Friends of mine from the ‘70s and ‘80s, they just got off five, six, maybe 10 years ago. And we’re the lucky ones. We made it out alive. There are a lot of guys that didn’t get that far. But you know, I also don’t have that many regrets either.”

Celebrities, politicians, cooking peers and fans took to Twitter to remember the beloved chef. Former President Barack Obama tweeted, “‘Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold Hanoi beer.’ This is how I’ll remember Tony. He taught us about food—but more importantly, about its ability to bring us together. To make us a little less afraid of the unknown. We’ll miss him.”

Gordon Ramsay tweeted, “Stunned and saddened by the loss of Anthony Bourdain. He brought the world into our homes and inspired so many people to explore cultures and cities through their food. Remember that help is a phone call away US:1-800-273-TALK UK: 116 123”

Chef Eric Ripert, Bourdain’s best friend, paid tribute on Twitter, “Anthony was my best friend. An exceptional human being, so inspiring & generous. One of the great storytellers who connected w so many. I pray he is at peace from the bottom of my heart. My love & prayers are also w his family, friends and loved ones.”

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) in the US. To find a suicide helpline outside the U.S., visit IASP or Suicide.org.

View the original article at thefix.com

8 June 2018