A concert inspired me to talk about mental health, suicide, and LGBTQ issues.
In July, my boyfriend surprised me with tickets to the Imagine Dragons concert in Orange Beach, Alabama. The show was spectacular, to say the least. It also felt like more than a concert - the band seems on a mission to lift people up and rise above hate and judgment. Before they performed the song “Believer,” singer Dan Reynolds said a few words about his experience with anxiety and depression. He encouraged the audience to consider the fact that denying and minimizing emotional and mental health problems is harming us and plays a factor in the rising rates of suicide attempts. There was a beautiful moment when somebody near the stage through a rainbow flag up on the stage. I noticed how the lead singer seemed to pause, appearing to consider his next move. Then he picked the flag up, draped it over his shoulders, and continued discussing the catastrophic rates of mental health problems, including suicide among our LGBTQ peers. He implored the audience to seek help from a counselor if they’ve struggled with depression, anxiety, or feelings of hopelessness. Listening and watching everything unfold, I felt a lot of emotions. Specifically, I felt proud and empowered to be a counselor and do the work I do. Dan later tweeted about the moment when the pride flag was thrown on stage:
we played in Alabama tonight & a fan threw a flag on stage & as I sang & looked at it on the ground I thought to myself, this is one of the most conservative places we will play in America - if I pick that flag up some fans will be upset - that’s why I knew I HAD to pick it up - @danreynolds
As a counselor in Alabama it feels good to say to potential clients, who call with uncertainty in their voices, that I’m an LGBTQ ally. Because of fear and limited resources, members of this community are dying and I refuse to be part of the silence. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in our youth and our LGBTQ youth are attempting suicide nearly three times that of our heterosexual youth. But death by suicide is preventable.
When I was in high school, a family member close to me survived a suicide attempt. At the time, this experience was confusing and heartbreaking. Listening to the lead singer take time out of their show to have an open and honest discussion about mental health and suicide, I found myself reflecting on that experience. Back then, I knew what depression and suicide were but nobody around me was talking about it. The day I returned to school, the counselor there asked if I wanted to talk. Of course I said no.
It wasn’t until I began studying psychology, mental health, and counseling in college and later in my graduate program that I took part in informative, honest discussions about suicide and efforts we can take to prevent it. I feel comfortable talking with my family, friends, and clients about suicide now, but we cannot solely rely on helping professionals to advocate for the people struggling with mental health problems. There are too many good resources available to us to not become informed and do what we can to decrease the number of people taking their lives because they feel alone and hopeless.
If you’d like to learn more about suicide awareness and prevention, please take a look at these links.