This is what depression looks like. This is a picture of my lovely dad, looking very happy, not too long before he killed himself. That's the problem with depression you can't always tell from the outside when people are suffering and people can wear their 'i'm ok' masks very well.
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Anyone that takes their own life is ultimately struggling deeply with their mental health and most likely very depressed. Of course the route courses for each individual are completely different but this is why people reach a point where they find life too unbearable to live.
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I WISH my dad had felt that it was ok to talk and realised that you CAN transform your mental health but you need to start looking after your brain and process the things that you're struggling with. Some people say that suicide is selfish and quite honestly trying to tell a 7 year old who felt abandoned by her father that it's not selfish would have been a very difficult task.
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It was only when I lost my own mental health to burnout that I truly realised what it felt like to be depressed and realised that it's so much more complex. In that moment my dad felt like he couldn't go on any more, it wasn't selfish and I was able to forgive him.
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So if you're struggling right now please remember that you 100% can improve your mental health, it just takes some loving care and there are people available right now to help you on your journey. Contact samaritans on: 116 113
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If you're worried about someone then NOW is the time to reach out and check in. It's easy to isolate yourself when you're struggling so be the person that they need today. My dad is a driving force behind why I teach - no one should ever feel like life is no longer worth living.
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