Suicide. A 3 syllable, 7 letter word that is not talked about. The moment it’s mentioned people turn the other cheek. They become uncomfortable and honestly believe it will cause suicide. Suicide isn’t a contagious word. It is a word that starts a conversation. A conversation that opens eyes to the reality of the pandemic of the final symptom of depression which is suicide. This word is preventable. This word deserves equality, love, and compassion just like any other symptoms of an illness. Over 12 years of my life I battled with this. I battled with endless hopelessness, a product of institutionalization in and out of psychiatric care watching the horrors of a broken system. The shame and stigma surrounding me led to barriers in my own healing, and setbacks that were life threatening. Suicide seen as attentioning-seeking, a choice, and selfish which is the very conversation used to talk about mental health. Those statements promote silence in the already internal battle that 1 in 3...