Thursday, March 31, 2011

Fighting with Mental Illness

I've been thinking a lot about what kind of desperation would make someone even contemplate suicide. Someone in AK's community back home committed suicide this week.

Have you ever listened to Good Charlotte? Kind of a grungy/rocky style, I discovered them in high school. They have a song called "Hold On," which if you watch the music video is about suicide. I sometimes find myself playing the lyrics in my head and trying to understand what my brother went through.

Living with mental illness can be a fight to survive every day. Millions of people in this world struggle with depression, and too many attempt or complete suicide.

My brother had a lot of fight in him. A lot. Was it too much that he just gave up? Had he fought for so long that there was no more fight in him? I wish I knew. I wish I understood more.

I wish he were still here.