Suicide and Real Conversations with Shirley Ramsey

Shirley Ramsey, our guest, shares her story about her 16-year-old son, Jackson. "He was compassionate, thoughtful, engaging, handsome and athletic. He was kind of kid others wanted to be around." But no one realized the depth of the Jackson's inner struggles with mental illness. Jackson died by suicide in February 2010. His mother, Shirley, has made it her mission to spread awareness and provide education about suicide prevention so this does not happen to anyone else. She will stop at nothing to break down the stigma and make having a #realconvo normal. Suicide can be difficult to talk about because people don't always know what to say or they are afraid they will put ideas into that person's mind, and in response, people say nothing or brush it off. I get why we do it, but it isn't the answer. When we know better, we do better. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for teens and young adults. Read that again...we have to do better. Danny and Holly learned so much talking to Shirley and we know you will, too. Please share this episode and reach out to us for questions and comments. We are on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Or you can email us at [email protected]

Are you in a crisis? Call 800-273-8255 or text TALK to 741741 

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Have a #Realconvo https://afsp.org/realconvo

Out of the Darkness Walk Info: https://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=cms.page&id=1370

Follow Shirley on Twitter! https://twitter.com/shoreyram

1) When someone is struggling, just listen

2) Let the other person share at their own speed

3) Don’t pass judgement or offer advice — just be there

4) We all experience mental health differently, and that’s okay

5) Check back in, and offer to connect them to help if they need it