The Iceberg and the Tip

The tip of the iceberg of suffering is when someone kills themselves. Why it is the tip of the iceberg is because for every person who commits the act there are many many others who suffer depression and anxiety, often quietly, and for some, for their entire lives.

We each bring our reasons to the work we do and for me it must in some ways be tied up with my own father's depression and multiple suicide attempts when I was an adolescent. If I look at my motivations for blogging I find that I have the hope that maybe, just maybe, one of these posts might help someone feel less alone and be more open to asking for help if they are feeling depressed anxious or suicidal. This is a lofty goal, and some may say it is even Polyanna-ish- No matter, it has, at the least, the potential to be helpful, and, if you have read this far it is likely that it is not causing any harm.

If you click on the link below you will be brought to short 10 min NPR interview with the MD-author Danille Ofri as she talks about the shocking suicide of one of her mentor's.

Be well,
S.


From Danielle Ofri's website:
Doctors’ Suicide
One of my most beloved mentors from residency took his own life. He seemed so much older to me at the time, but he was only 39 years old. In this interview on NPR, I talk about his loss, and read from the story I wrote about him, “Intensive Care.” This story, from the book Singular Intimacies, is included in a new anthology, Writer MD.

http://danielleofri.com/doctors-suicide/

http://ttbook.org/book/danielle-ofri-suicide-and-medicine