Dese'Rae Stage, is a photographer, writer, and a suicide awareness advocate. More than that though, she's personally experienced bipolar disorder, self-injury and a suicide attempt, in addition to experiencing the grief and loss following loved ones passing from suicide. Based on her experiences with mental health, particularly in witnessing firsthand the #stigma, shame, and secretiveness that goes along with mental illness and suicide, as well as finding mental health resources lacking for suicide attempt survivors, Dese'Rae felt something needed to be done. So, this past December, she created an initiative called Live Through This, a growing collection of portraits and stories of suicide attempt survivors.
"The intention of Live Through This is to show that everyone is susceptible to depression and suicidal thoughts by sharing portraits and stories of real attempt survivors—people who look just like you. These feelings could affect your mom, your partner, or your brother, and the fear of talking about it can be a killer.
Historically, suicide attempt survivors, in particular, have spoken under conditions of anonymity in order to save them from being discriminated against. The silence and shame created in that act are dangerous. Live Through This encourages survivors to own their experiences publicly—using both their full names and likenesses—and thereby works to strip the issue of anonymity and raise awareness by, simply, talking about it. It's the first known project of its kind, exploring a world that has remained a taboo for far too long" (livethrougthis.org)
Live Though This is a project worth checking out. It aims to not only increase awareness and provide hope for those struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, but also has the potential to teach us immensely about #mentalhealth. The project "asks you to look into their [the survivors'] eyes, to see their humanity, to find empathy" (livethroughthis.org) and perhaps by doing so we can better understand these experiences and provide better support.
More information about the project can be found here:
"The intention of Live Through This is to show that everyone is susceptible to depression and suicidal thoughts by sharing portraits and stories of real attempt survivors—people who look just like you. These feelings could affect your mom, your partner, or your brother, and the fear of talking about it can be a killer.
Historically, suicide attempt survivors, in particular, have spoken under conditions of anonymity in order to save them from being discriminated against. The silence and shame created in that act are dangerous. Live Through This encourages survivors to own their experiences publicly—using both their full names and likenesses—and thereby works to strip the issue of anonymity and raise awareness by, simply, talking about it. It's the first known project of its kind, exploring a world that has remained a taboo for far too long" (livethrougthis.org)
Live Though This is a project worth checking out. It aims to not only increase awareness and provide hope for those struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, but also has the potential to teach us immensely about #mentalhealth. The project "asks you to look into their [the survivors'] eyes, to see their humanity, to find empathy" (livethroughthis.org) and perhaps by doing so we can better understand these experiences and provide better support.
More information about the project can be found here:
- Live Through This
- "Suicide Survivors Help To Shape Prevention Efforts" by David Crary (AP)
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