I'm sure you've heard how the holiday season tends to cause a spike in suicide deaths. The theory goes that people who have no one during what is considered a time for family reach the zenith of loneliness and despair and they end their lives. I've heard this for years. That's the reason I was so surprised to find out that it isn't true. In fact, it's the opposite. The Center For Disease Control reports that November and December are the two lowest months in average suicide deaths per day. That's definitely something to be grateful for in this time of celebration and reflection. However, it's the other ten months we have to worry about.
For the past few years, I've been working with the Marsh to prevent suicides, shine a light on depression and end the stigma of mental illness by bringing the issue out into the open. We have been presenting my solo play, The Waiting Period, to the public free of charge on Sundays. In Waiting, I share one of the most difficult periods of my life; the time that my depression was so bad that I wanted to die. The idea is that by sharing my personal story, it will encourage others who suffer from the disease and planning self harm to tell someone what's going on before it's too late. We've succeeded beyond our wildest dreams and as a result, there are people who are alive today who wouldn't be were it not for what we're doing.
- There's the woman who flipped a coin to decide whether she was coming to see Waiting or jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Fortunately, the coin came up for the show and through my story, she found the courage to ask for the help she needed.
- A man recognized his brother's behavior in my performance and, with the help of his family, staged an intervention where they learned that the brother was planning to take his own life that very week. They got the man help to get his depression under control and he's with us today.
- A theater aficionado brought her teenage daughter to see The Waiting Period with the purpose of just enjoying a free show. To her surprise, when they got home, her daughter revealed the scars on her body from cutting and confessed her own daily thoughts of suicide. The woman had no idea that her daughter was in crisis until the girl was prompted to tell someone that she was struggling.
These are just a few of the stories.
We'd like to continue The Waiting Period Project through 2019 by providing a minimum of 26 performances that are free to the public. In order to do that, we need your help. Will you take a moment to look at our GoFundMe video and consider making a contribution so that we can continue this important work? The Marsh is a registered 501c3 nonprofit and contributions are tax deductible.
We would appreciate anything you can do to help us as we work to reduce suicides during the other ten months of the year.
I hope that you and yours have a glorious holiday season!
Brian Copeland
Playwright. Actor. Depressive.
https://www.gofundme.com/5kp972-help-us-help-people-with-depression