Close Captioning available when you click the talk bubble button on bottom right.
Tom Love talks about his family history that included a custody battle after a bitter divorce, his sister who suffered sexual abuse, later used drugs to numb the pain and died by suicide and his own struggles with depression and his suicide attempts.
When a child suffers trauma like Tom experienced during the years when the brain was still developing, it can have serious repercussions. Tom’s story illustrates how complex family issues and making kids pawns in divorce causes trauma that can often lead to depression, struggles with drug and alcohol abuse or addiction, suicide attempts or completed suicide in addition to many other problems.
Childhood trauma doesn’t mean you can never get past the past. These issues can be addressed and resolved with the right intervention.
Thank you Tom for having the guts to be vulnerable, tell this story, and display emotion few men are willing to show.
From Tom Love:
This is hard. It’s been on my heart to share for years. There’s many reasons not to share this publicly but I believe if we honestly want to de-stigmatize this disease, we have to tell our stories. I regret not sharing my own difficulties with depression with my sister, Becky. I’m not sure it would have saved her but I know it helped me.
I’m hopeful that this story will help you to share yours with your loved ones and to know you’re not alone.
God Bless Big Thanks to Friends, Family, and God. I’m really grateful You rose from the dead and brought the Holy Spirit to us. Thank You for not giving up on me. I’m hopeful You will use this story for good. “Love one another because God is love. If you do not love, you do not know God.” Family and friends treating me the same/well was one of the best things they could have done. People ask if I still struggle. I’ve been free of those thoughts for ten years. I know the steps I need to take to fight depression which I mentioned some in the video.
If you are suicidal, please reach out to a trusted loved one, the suicide helpline 1-800-273-8255 and/or myself. You’re not alone, and depression does not define you.
Thank you, Tom, for having the courage to share your story.