hold on a minute longer

so i think it's time to tell you about the banner under my header...

spring 2010 - My husband finishes listening to this story on KLOVE and is in tears. he tells me, and then i'm in tears. he says these are the people he wants to help. we pray. it seems the right thing to do.

time passes. i go the TWLOHA website and read the stats and the stories. i cry again. i really want to help. i tell friends what we're thinking of doing and they say, "I know someone who self-injures," or "I used to self-injure." it's more common than we realized, closer to home now.

i wonder, why does this affect me so much? is it because i've struggled with depression and self-injury and thoughts of suicide, and i want to help teens steer away from that choice?

i ask myself again, how can we help these teens now? i know we can do something tangible in the future, but what can i do now?

the answer is...i pray. i promote TWLOHA. i buy their t-shirts to help them raise money. i share statistics like these.

-121 million people worldwide suffer from depression. (World Health Organization)

- 18 million of these cases are happening in the United States. (The National Institute of Mental Health)

- Between 20% and 50% of children and teens struggling with depression have a family history of this struggle and the offspring of depressed parents are more than three times as likely to suffer from depression. (U.S. Surgeon General's Survey, 1999)

- Depression often co-occurs with anxiety disorders and substance abuse, with 30 percent of teens with depression also developing a substance abuse problem. (NIMH)

- 2/3 of those suffering from depression never seek treatment.

Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers. (NIMH)

About Self-Injury
While not always the case, often untreated depression and other struggles lead to unhealthy ways in which we try and deal with the hurt and pain we are feeling. We try and find anything that we can do to take away the hurt, painful feelings, or negative thoughts we are experiencing. Often the things that we turn to seem to help at first, appearing to provide some of the relief that we need so badly. But, even though they may seem like they help, often they are unhealthy themselves, eventually becoming even greater struggles like addictions such as drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, or self-injury.

and then i say, if you suffer from depression or suicidal thoughts, rescue is possible. help is available. the hardest part is admitting you need help and then asking for it.

TWOLHA is not a counselling service, but they have links here to places that can help.

for more on TWLOHA, click the banner under my header.

for a video about self-injury and depression, including a little about TWLOHA, click here: TWLOHA on NBC news

i'm in tears again as i post this. pain is hard for me to deal with, especially when it's pain in others. i hope i've helped just a little. i love you. find help.