With the recent suicide of Stephen “Twitch” Boss, I knew it was time to have this chat. Behind that confident smile can be someone struggling to keep it together. I know this personally as someone who attempted to commit suicide more than once.
There isn’t a stereotypical look for someone thinking about suicide. The person next to you in line or your best friend can be secretly struggling. Surviving suicide is one of the hardest things I’ve done. The shame and guilt alone made me wish I didn’t make it. But I survived the suicide attempts and how people treated me afterward.
Today I want to shine a light on suicide, especially in the Black community, where there’s this stigma around mental health and suicide. It’s time to remove this need to “perform” and “be” to heal. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, I encourage you to call 988 for help. I pray this episode will help us have an honest conversation about suicide, why someone would want to end their life, and resources if money is a barrier to getting help.