What Meghan’s openness about suicidal thoughts can teach us

What Meghan’s openness about suicidal thoughts can teach us

Posted on March 9, 2021

The feelings Meghan described — shame, fear, hopelessness — are familiar to many who've experienced suicidal thoughts. But hearing her share so openly the mental anguish she experienced is meaningful to people who've contemplated suicide, said Dr. Ken Duckworth, NAMI CMO. Meghan's admission opens the floor to viewers who've had suicidal thoughts to discuss those feelings with people they trust or pursue treatment, Duckworth said. If one person watches that interview and says, 'I have struggled with this too; maybe I should reach out and get help,' (Meghan has) done another service," he said. In sharing that she's had suicidal thoughts, Meghan, a person who's so famous that she's recognizable from her first name alone, gave a voice to viewers who've thought about suicide, too. "I think it's a message that mental health is a 'we problem,' not an 'I problem,'" Duckworth said of her interview. Meghan's admission also challenges the stigma of having suicidal thoughts, he said, something that many Americans have experienced during the last year of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hearing from a well-known figure who they can trust or relate to might put into perspective some of the issues people who've considered suicide face, he said. They may recognize symptoms she described within themselves, which could drive them to discuss those feelings with a mental health professional. "It's like physical pain — you have to attend to it," Duckworth said. "This is a reflection of tremendous emotional distress. (Suicidal thoughts) are the body's way of saying, 'Stop what you're doing.'"