Category: Suicide

What to ask your politician regarding youth mental health?

While these do pertain to Virginia, many of the questions are also relevant to ask in your state since suicide rates have risen overall for youth in America.

The following election toolkit is an excerpt from Voices for Virginia’s Children on what questions you need to ask political candidates during this elections season. Virginia ranks 49 in treatment access for youth suffering from major depression which means 7out of 10 kids are not getting the help they need. Our family lived this statistic and we were a middle class family. (access the entire pdf here).

The question for … Read more...

Am I a shameless self promoter?

When I was younger, I was often criticized as “bossy.” And all though my teen years and my professional life, I was reprimanded for qualities people would praise in a man. Tall with confidence is not always a combination people love in a female. Especially other females.

And even now, I get comments that I’m a shameless self promoter. Because I am promoting a book I wrote? That’s what authors do. Or because I promote my speaking? I can tell you that it was never my life’s ambition to push the cause of mental illness, addiction and suicide into a … Read more...

‘Diary of a Broken Mind’ is not for the newly bereaved

Diary of a broken mind Charles Aubrey Rogers

Few authors un-sell their book. However, I just want to be sensitive to those who might not be in the place to read it yet. A number of people have asked. And while there may be newly bereaved who need it and can read it, it could be triggering for some. This book is is memoir, not a grief book. So it’s not for everyone at any time. If you are currently not feeling very stable, for example, you’d may make the choice to wait.

For a preview to help you decide, the introduction is here.

It is for those … Read more...

safeTALK training completed!

People from all over Canada and the US including Florida, Montana, Michigan, Maryland, and Virginia (me) came to this training. Groups representing native Americans, LGBTQ people, the military, healthcare education, peer-to-peer support, government agencies, nonprofits, attended and became registered safeTALK trainers.

Using a simple yet effective model, LivingWorks safeTALK empowers everyone to make a difference. With over 120,000 people attending each year, it’s the world’s fastest-growing suicide prevention training.

LivingWorks safeTALK is a four-hour face-to-face workshop featuring powerful presentations, audiovisuals, and skills practice. You’ll learn how to prevent suicide by recognizing signs, engaging someone, and connecting them to an intervention … Read more...

Mama Bear Dares Podcast with Anne Moss Rogers

EPISODE 234: LOSS, GRIEF, AND SUICIDE PREVENTION WITH ANNE MOSS ROGERS

Podcast on Momma Bear Dares Website

On Episode 234 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie talk to Anne Moss Rogers, a fierce mental health advocate, speaker, and writer who helps people foster a culture of connection to prevent suicide, reduce substance misuse, and find life after loss.

Through their discussion, Anne Moss teaches Tesi and Leslie about how to talk about suicide and grief, potential warning signs, helpful resources, and how to walk through life with a grieving friend.

Anne Moss shares the sorrow of her son Charles … Read more...

What Eeyore has taught us about acceptance

Eeyore, his depression and his friends

You know the character, Eeyore, from the Winnie the Pooh classics. He’s the donkey who is always down, never sees sunshine in anything, suffers low self-esteem, has a droopy posture and has issues with his body image (the tail).

In short, Eeyore suffers major depression and his low episodes have lasted decades.

He’s never taken medication or seen a counselor (and he may have benefitted from this treatment). But despite that, he has friends who accept him and love him for exactly who he is.

He can be grumpy. But that’s never been a … Read more...

Going to Canada for safeTALK training

My Pat Asch Fellowship for social justice is focused on youth suicide prevention in and around Richmond, Virginia. As part of that initiative and to add value to my speaking business, I wanted to become a safeTALK trainer which is a 3.5-4 hour evidence-based suicide prevention training.

It would also be an added value for speaking at colleges and possibly at conferences. I plan to take this into local communities and have more young people and adults trained in recognizing the signs of suicide.

A manager’s guide on what to do after a suicide in the workplace
… Read more...

Have we lost the art of listening?

We want to fix. Tell people what to do. Give all the answers. Talk over one another. Repeat sound bites we heard as evidence we listened to the news.

Rarely do we listen, really listen.

The magic words are “Tell me more.” And then to close our mouths and hear the other person.

If you have typical arguments that could, by now, be your family script, change and you could change that narrative by changing how you respond. That requires listening well enough to reflect back with empathy so the person knows they have been heard.

I’ve had to work … Read more...

The stories you share about our beloved dead mean the most

Not long ago, I was on a podcast called Hope to Recharge and met the host, Matana, during my interview.

She reached out to me after because there was a youth suicide in her hometown and they asked her to speak at a school, and she wanted some advice since I speak on this subject so frequently. We first went over the guidelines of what not to say to this audience following the trauma of a student suicide. We talked about what she would say and then about grief and what meant most to parents who have lost a child.… Read more...

My morning speaking at Virginia State University

Suicide is a tough subject but the #2 cause of death on college campuses. In fact I wish I had some magic tricks for the college crowd. A friend of mine suggested eating fire. I thought that posed risk of burning my hair and maybe I’d rather be sawed in half. But that would require talent above my pay grade.

Today at Virginia State University, I told my story about Charles, shared my grief journey, and then we talked about coping strategies. For this we used post it notes and a white board. And for the healthy and unhealthy coping … Read more...

Sharing my book’s introduction

INTRODUCTION TO DIARY OF A BROKEN MIND

buy the book

So play this when your day is gray,
when hope is dim
When happiness is growing slim
Listen to me rap then reverse the grim
Burn the hurt,
let my words do the work
—Silver Lining, by Charles Aubrey Rogers

When the police delivered the news that my youngest son, Charles, had died by suicide, my heart seized and, in the split second before my lungs could find air and the wails of my soul in agony could erupt, I had the urge to yell, “You have it all wrong. … Read more...

Press Release: Anne Moss Roger’s Powerful ‘Diary of a Broken Mind’

NEWS
FROM BEACH GLASS BOOKS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ray McAllister, Ray@RayMcAllisterBooks.com

TO BE PUBLISHED OCTOBER 1 BY BEACH GLASS BOOKS

diary of a broken mind memoir by anne moss rogers charles rogers
ISBN: 978-0-9987881-6-6
$16.95 paperback. Non-fiction.
6×9 inches, 304 pages, Publishes October 1, 2019. BEACHGLASSBOOKS.COM

Beach Glass Books is proud to announce the October 1, 2019, publishing of DIARY OF A BROKEN MIND: A Mother’s Story, a Son’s Suicide, and the Haunting Lyrics He Left Behind, by Anne Moss Rogers, with her late son, Charles.

Download the Press Release

THE FUNNIEST, MOST POPULAR KID IN SCHOOL, Charles Aubrey Rogers suffered from depression and later addiction, then ultimately died … Read more...

Unconventional Leaders Podcast with Heather Parady

Listen on the way to work or while walking the dog or putting in mileage on that treadmill.

Podcast

Video

https://youtu.be/e_Z5D0Z0fUY
When the world says give up, hope whispers
… Read more...

September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day

USA Suicide & Crisis Lifeline call 988
USA Crisis Text 741-741
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for Veterans call 988, press 1
USA Crisis Line for LGBTQ Youth, call 1-866-488-7386
USA Crisis Text for LGBTQ Youth 678-678
USA TransLifeline call, 1-833-456-4566
USA Suicide Prevention Lifeline & Chat for the Deaf or Hearing impaired. Or dial 711 then 988
United Kingdom Samaritans 116 123
Australia Crisis Line 13 11 14
Canada Crisis Line 1-833-456-4566
Canada TransLifeline 877-330-6366
International suicide hotlines

just listen suicide prevention tshirt
See the shirts for sale

Every life lost to suicide represents someone’s partner, child, parent, friend, or colleague. For each suicide, … Read more...

Your stories are important

These are from my statistics and I wanted you to see how important your stories are. Hundreds find them from google every day. And still others from Facebook. Years after these articles are written they are found by others who are struggling and want more information.

Guest posts are about mental illness, addiction, suicide and the grief that is a result of all of those.

Submit your story here

My son, Jake, died from depression
by Susan Shearouse 
Fighting and surviving your mind every day is exhausting
by Paul Buskey
Remembering Christopher Bryan DeShields
who died by suicide
by Raymond
… Read more...