Author and grief educator Erin Blechman spoke to an audience at the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Collier County Thursday night. Blechman and her husband lost their son Max to suicide when he was 25.
Here’s Blechman: “June 3, 2020, was the day that my husband Bill and I got the call that no parent ever wants to get. And that was that sometime during the night before, our 25-year-old son Max had taken his life.”
Blechman’s son Max had suffered with depression, as well as anxiety and epilepsy, for years.
She continued: “Depression is a health condition. It is not a passing mood, it’s not feeling blue, it’s not a character flaw, a lack of faith, or a behavioral problem. Depression zaps someone of their ability to do even the most basic things like get out of bed.”
In her talk at NAMI Collier, Blechman shared what she has learned about mental illness and suicide as she supported her son and then grieved his death. In addition to public speaking, Blechman, who lives part-time in southwest Florida, offers short-term online grief groups. For more information, write to myunexpectedjourney2022@gmail.com.
If you are feeling alone and having thoughts of suicide—whether or not you are in crisis—or know someone who is, don’t remain silent. Talk to someone you can trust. Call or text 988 or chat the lifeline.
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