You Are Not Alone

I want to tell you about a young man I know. He went to a major university and was going to graduate this spring.  He was one of those people that lit up the room every time he walked in, the life of the party. He was very popular in high school and college because he was kind to everyone he met.  He had a loving and supportive family.  I would tell my niece if she ever broke up with her boyfriend, she should date him. To sum it up, to know him is to love him.



He committed suicide last week.  He had been struggling with Bipolar disorder.



The next night 100's of students at his college held a candlelight vigil for him.  Literally a busload of his high school friends made the trip for it.  His memorial service is next week and is expected to be a full house.  He was loved by all.  Including me.



Many people didn't know he was Bipolar until after he passed.  I wonder if his family kept it a secret? Were they worried about the stigma of a Bipolar diagnosis and the scrutiny they may face? What if people knew about it, like it was any other health issue such as diabetes or cancer?



What if I knew?



As you may know, my Bipolar II diagnosis is not nearly as severe as Bipolar.  But to some extent, I understand some of things he was going through.

What if I had talked to him? To let him know that he's not alone and I've been through many of the same things? That I know what it's like to feel hopeless.  That I know what it's like to feel dread for no reason.  That I know what it's like to feel that my life was out of control. That I know what it's like to feel overwhelming sadness and be adept at covering it up. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity.

Would this had helped?  Would it have saved him? I'll never know.

What I do know is that hundreds of people are heartbroken over the loss of a great young man.



Namaste


Postscript:
My nephew went on a spiritual retreat over this past weekend (he goes to a Jesuit High School).  The retreat was for a small group of the school's student leaders. Part of the agenda was a prewritten speech about his struggles with depression (pretty ballsy for a High School senior).  Right before his speech he found out about the death of his friend.


He took this as a sign.  He now plans on speaking about his struggle to the entire school. He told me that he's sick of hiding this and it needs to be discussed.


What an exceptional young man. (I may be a little biased)


This shows that there is hope.