You can survive... having a mental illness does not define us, nor does it have a right to stigmatize us. I have been on many sounds of the 'mental health journey', from being a consumer to an advocate. I now believe that the three times I tried to end my life lead to moments like this; 'you can survive'. The misconception is that having an illness of this sort means we still keep quiet. The #keeptalkingMH mental health is powerful. If we don't keep talking mental health nothing will change.
I had an alarming statistic presented to me yesterday, 4 people had suicided but yet the news wont publish it because it may lead to others doing the same. I feel different. I believe there is a duty of care to let the public know that they are not alone in their fight. We have a responsibility to educate and with that self-care measures. If stories were published, make sure in your local area there are numbers to ring if you need a hang. If suicide is the option for some as it was for me, maybe if it was more open 'the shame', 'the stigma' that is still attached would not be.
I am here to let you know that I survived self-harm, suicide, anorexia bulimia and if I had to change all of that, I wouldn't. It has created a deep seated impression in my life that I have the duty to tell my story, I did not come through alive for nothing. It was to let other's know that surviving is an option.
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