“Almost a decade ago I lost my dad to suicide. He’d silently struggled with depression his whole life, but his death came as a shock to the entire family.”
Almost a decade ago I lost my dad to suicide. He’d silently struggled with depression his whole life, but his death came as a shock to the entire family. In hindsight, it’s difficult to prevent yourself from seeking answers to why he chose to do it, and to wonder if anything could have happened differently. It’s especially difficult to reflect on what he must’ve been thinking at the very end. I suppose my dad must’ve felt trapped, disconnected, and a deep sense of despair. He shouldn’t have been feeling any of these things. He was a great man who was loved by his friends and family.
The experience of losing my dad has forced me to be more honest and acknowledge my own mental health challenges, and to change my priorities in life, which is something I’m still working on. It’s also certainly a large reason why I work at Compass, because there’s too many people out there who are feeling like my dad did: trapped and alone, when really this is a mental fiction, really they should be feeling connected.