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    SisterCarrie_not the other oneKirsten West Savali
    11/14/17 5:44pm

    Thank you for this. More awareness needs to be brought to how we address mental health issues in our community along with being more comfortable talking to therapists and taking medication if necessary. There’s also something to be said about seeing a therapist that’s culturally sensitive and understanding with issues with we deal with, rather than being dismissive of our day-to-day interactions as being paranoia. There’s just so many layers and complexities when it comes to our mental health and I’m sure it’s frustrating to spend time educating a therapist before you can start receiving adequate treatment.

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      SabrielSisterCarrie_not the other one
      11/14/17 6:38pm

      One resource for this - Psychology Today has a directory of therapists which allows you to filter your search results. Under “treatment orientation,” you can choose “culturally sensitive,” and you can read their profile to get a sense of what they’re about.

      https://www.psychologytoday.com

      (You can also search for people who specialize in LGBT issues this way.)

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      SisterCarrie_not the other oneSabriel
      11/14/17 6:43pm

      This is very helpful and my hope is that more people seek out those resources, if available in their communities.

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    iThorKirsten West Savali
    11/14/17 10:16pm

    This definitely gives me pause for thought. Having dealt with a one week long suicidal episode and having lost an uncle to suicide I feel I have a responsibility and role to play on this issue. One thing people can do is set up a monthly reoccuring donation to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

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      j4x_iThor
      11/15/17 7:19am

      I know what you mean. I’ve been struggling with mental issues for a decade now and I continually meet people who have suffered far worse along the path than I have. I’ve tried to find a way to channel that but aside from donations, there seems limited paths available.

      When I meet teenagers, fucking kids, and hear them talking about the same struggles/problems that I know are breaking otherwise functional adults....it wrenches my heart.

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      Ugh.j4x_
      11/15/17 7:58am

      I hear you. I try to listen to such folks, in person, if I’m in a position to do so.

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    Ugh.Kirsten West Savali
    11/14/17 4:35pm

    Thanks for this.

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      carlvenkmanUgh.
      11/14/17 6:56pm

      This is truly heartbreaking. To give up on life because the future is so bleak? And they are just kids. Kids. I couldn’t even imagine until I read this post.

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      Ugh.carlvenkman
      11/14/17 7:03pm

      Yeah, hadn’t read about it prior.

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    Petey Wheatstraw The Devil Son in lawKirsten West Savali
    11/14/17 7:54pm

    Exceptional Journalism, written with the empathy and truthfulness it deserves. It’s something I’ve seen first hand, not the suicidal tendency but more so the outlook and viewpoint of a child upon society. My nephew, who is only 9, has such a bleak and pessimistic view of our world. They DO pay attention and understand poverty, racism, and just the improvised society their around. I treat him more like my child than my nephew and explain to him the absolute necessity of positivity, perseverance and believing in your uniqueness upon this world. The sad truth is that no child should be told or shown this, unfortunately, our society selfishness and greed have turned our backs on the most vulnerable.

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    BantaroKirsten West Savali
    11/14/17 6:46pm

    In many cases, suicide among black people is directly connected to poverty and poor race relations in America.

    A thousand times this.

    You can’t point to a single cause of depression. Do we get it because of our family genetics? Do we get it because of our environment, physical or emotional? Do we get it because of the bad things that happened to us?

    Sometimes the answer is yes to one question. Sometime it the answer is yes, this kid was exposed to lead, and other people in his family are depressed, and terrible things happened to this kid as a child.

    This gets back to the oldest arguments in science: Nature vs. Nurture, which is why there’s no one fix, one cure for depression. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. We have to.

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