Feeling Blue teaches the warning signs of suicide
A suicide almost 15 years ago helped save the life of Heidi Bryan of Phoenixville — and perhaps the lives of others.
Bryan is the founder and director of Feeling Blue, a suicide prevention council, now in its tenth year. Bryan was profoundly affected by the January 1995 suicide of her 40-year-old brother, and recalled the exact date without hesitation. In the weeks prior to her brother’s death, Bryan, who was suffering from depression, had already made out her own will, and was thinking of suicide. However, she credits her brother’s death for saving her life.
“The grief and the aftermath of suicide — first I was struck by the ripple effect of it all, and then I was struck by the silence,” Bryan said. “People knew what happened and how he died, and hardly anybody said anything to me, and they didn’t even mention his name. It was like he was erased.”
Following her brother’s death, Bryan started to rebuild her own life. She began noticing suicide scenes in TV shows and movies, and how they never showed the aftermath of the death.
“It got me thinking, like, ‘Geez, we’re giving this message that if things get too bad, you can just kill yourself,’ and that prompted me to look into it,” she said.
Bryan looked into suicide statistics and had a conversation about suicide with her minister and his wife over dinner. They agreed to start a suicide outreach committee at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, in Radnor. Since then, the committee has become a council, and independent of the church.
According to the Centers for Disease Control Web site, in 2006 there were more than 33,000 suicides in the country. Men account for 79 percent of all suicides, making it the seventh leading cause of death for men. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 25 to 34; and the third leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 24.
Firearms and poisoning account for the number one method of suicide in men and women, respectively.
Feeling Blue provides education about suicide and training on how to recognize the risk factors and warning signs. Bryan, certified in QPR training, which stands for “question, persuade, and refer,” said her organization speaks and holds training sessions regarding suicide risk factors at schools, community organizations and companies.
“We go everywhere,” she said. “If there’s been a suicide in the company, sometimes we’re asked to talk to the people. We’ve been to detention centers, and worked with everyone from school counselors to senior centers.”
In addition to the grief that accompanies the suicide of a loved one, Bryan said those affected sometimes feel ashamed and ostracized by the community. Some act as if suicide is a transferrable disease, and Bryan said some people don’t know how to speak to someone affected by a suicide.
“I felt like we had this big red flag saying ‘dysfunctional family’ here,” Bryan said. “I learned since then that it can happen to anybody. Also, you feel guilty and that you’re to blame, and people don’t know how to react. They’re afraid they’re going to make it worse, but they don’t know that you’re already at your worst. I had one friend that said, ‘I don’t know what to say, but I’m here for you,’ and I will never forget that.”
To help raise money for programming and training at the nonprofit, Feeling Blue will hold its second annual Swing Into Life golf tournament Sept. 30 at Whitford Country Club, 600 Whitford Hills Road, Exton. Highlighting the event will be former Detroit Lions’ quarterback Eric Hipple, who lost a son to suicide. Bryan met Hipple at a conference in New Orleans a couple of years ago, and both were asked to go on a TV interview together.
“He talks very openly about what it’s like to lose a son, and he struggled with depression as well,” Bryan said. “It’s nice to meet someone else who’s been through something similar.”
Cost for the golf tournament is $150 per person and includes lunch, dinner and open bar. Registration starts at 11:30 a.m.; and the tournament starts at noon.
For more information about the event, or for more resources regarding suicide prevention, visit www.feelingblue.org.
Bryan is the founder and director of Feeling Blue, a suicide prevention council, now in its tenth year. Bryan was profoundly affected by the January 1995 suicide of her 40-year-old brother, and recalled the exact date without hesitation. In the weeks prior to her brother’s death, Bryan, who was suffering from depression, had already made out her own will, and was thinking of suicide. However, she credits her brother’s death for saving her life.
“The grief and the aftermath of suicide — first I was struck by the ripple effect of it all, and then I was struck by the silence,” Bryan said. “People knew what happened and how he died, and hardly anybody said anything to me, and they didn’t even mention his name. It was like he was erased.”
Following her brother’s death, Bryan started to rebuild her own life. She began noticing suicide scenes in TV shows and movies, and how they never showed the aftermath of the death.
“It got me thinking, like, ‘Geez, we’re giving this message that if things get too bad, you can just kill yourself,’ and that prompted me to look into it,” she said.
Bryan looked into suicide statistics and had a conversation about suicide with her minister and his wife over dinner. They agreed to start a suicide outreach committee at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, in Radnor. Since then, the committee has become a council, and independent of the church.
According to the Centers for Disease Control Web site, in 2006 there were more than 33,000 suicides in the country. Men account for 79 percent of all suicides, making it the seventh leading cause of death for men. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 25 to 34; and the third leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 24.
Firearms and poisoning account for the number one method of suicide in men and women, respectively.
Feeling Blue provides education about suicide and training on how to recognize the risk factors and warning signs. Bryan, certified in QPR training, which stands for “question, persuade, and refer,” said her organization speaks and holds training sessions regarding suicide risk factors at schools, community organizations and companies.
“We go everywhere,” she said. “If there’s been a suicide in the company, sometimes we’re asked to talk to the people. We’ve been to detention centers, and worked with everyone from school counselors to senior centers.”
In addition to the grief that accompanies the suicide of a loved one, Bryan said those affected sometimes feel ashamed and ostracized by the community. Some act as if suicide is a transferrable disease, and Bryan said some people don’t know how to speak to someone affected by a suicide.
“I felt like we had this big red flag saying ‘dysfunctional family’ here,” Bryan said. “I learned since then that it can happen to anybody. Also, you feel guilty and that you’re to blame, and people don’t know how to react. They’re afraid they’re going to make it worse, but they don’t know that you’re already at your worst. I had one friend that said, ‘I don’t know what to say, but I’m here for you,’ and I will never forget that.”
To help raise money for programming and training at the nonprofit, Feeling Blue will hold its second annual Swing Into Life golf tournament Sept. 30 at Whitford Country Club, 600 Whitford Hills Road, Exton. Highlighting the event will be former Detroit Lions’ quarterback Eric Hipple, who lost a son to suicide. Bryan met Hipple at a conference in New Orleans a couple of years ago, and both were asked to go on a TV interview together.
“He talks very openly about what it’s like to lose a son, and he struggled with depression as well,” Bryan said. “It’s nice to meet someone else who’s been through something similar.”
Cost for the golf tournament is $150 per person and includes lunch, dinner and open bar. Registration starts at 11:30 a.m.; and the tournament starts at noon.
For more information about the event, or for more resources regarding suicide prevention, visit www.feelingblue.org.
