Why do so many people feel alone in their mental health struggles? Join us for a profound conversation with Wendy Seidel, Executive Director of the Greater Reading Mental Health Alliance, as we unravel the complex stigma surrounding mental health and discuss alarming suicide statistics, especially among the youth. Wendy and I open up about our personal battles with anxiety and how therapy and medication have been game-changers. We also call out the urgent need for more public figures to normalize these conversations and tackle the gender disparities that stop men from seeking help.
In our discussion, we shine a spotlight on the barriers to accessing mental health services, from long wait times for diagnoses to the scarcity of mental health professionals. Wendy explains the critical advocacy work of the Greater Reading Mental Health Alliance and the pivotal role of support groups and personal mentorship. Learn how community efforts, like the Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) team, offer vital support to those impacted by suicide. By breaking these stigmas together, we can create a more understanding and supportive community.
"Having dealt with mental health challenges in my early 30's, I'm very familiar with this topic and the stigma that goes along with it. At 53 years old, I'm still medicated for general anxiety and panic attacks. The good news is with medication, it no longer has an impact on my life and my future! Wendy does an amazing job of walking us through all that is available for those suffering from any form of Mental Illness." - Brad Weisman
--- Welcome to The Brad Weisman Show (formerly known as Real Estate and YOU), where we dive into the world of real estate, real life, and everything in between with your host, Brad Weisman! 🎙️ Join us for candid conversations, laughter, and a fresh take on the real world. Get ready to explore the ups and downs of life with a side of humor. From property to personality, we've got it all covered. Tune in, laugh along, and let's get real! 🏡🌟 #TheBradWeismanShow #RealEstateRealLife #realestateandyou Credits - The music for my podcast was written and performed by Jeff Miller.
Why do so many people feel alone in their mental health struggles? Join us for a profound conversation with Wendy Seidel, Executive Director of the Greater Reading Mental Health Alliance, as we unravel the complex stigma surrounding mental health and discuss alarming suicide statistics, especially among the youth. Wendy and I open up about our personal battles with anxiety and how therapy and medication have been game-changers. We also call out the urgent need for more public figures to normalize these conversations and tackle the gender disparities that stop men from seeking help.
In our discussion, we shine a spotlight on the barriers to accessing mental health services, from long wait times for diagnoses to the scarcity of mental health professionals. Wendy explains the critical advocacy work of the Greater Reading Mental Health Alliance and the pivotal role of support groups and personal mentorship. Learn how community efforts, like the Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) team, offer vital support to those impacted by suicide. By breaking these stigmas together, we can create a more understanding and supportive community.
"Having dealt with mental health challenges in my early 30's, I'm very familiar with this topic and the stigma that goes along with it. At 53 years old, I'm still medicated for general anxiety and panic attacks. The good news is with medication, it no longer has an impact on my life and my future! Wendy does an amazing job of walking us through all that is available for those suffering from any form of Mental Illness." - Brad Weisman
--- Welcome to The Brad Weisman Show (formerly known as Real Estate and YOU), where we dive into the world of real estate, real life, and everything in between with your host, Brad Weisman! 🎙️ Join us for candid conversations, laughter, and a fresh take on the real world. Get ready to explore the ups and downs of life with a side of humor. From property to personality, we've got it all covered. Tune in, laugh along, and let's get real! 🏡🌟 #TheBradWeismanShow #RealEstateRealLife #realestateandyou Credits - The music for my podcast was written and performed by Jeff Miller.
Speaker 1:
From real estate to real life and everything in between the Brad Wiseman Show and now your host, brad.
Speaker 2:
Wiseman. All right, we are back in the studio and I have to say this is going to be a little bit more of a heavier show. We're going to be delving into some difficult conversations here. We're going to be talking about suicide, mental health, all these different kinds of things. So if it's something that you don't want to hear, maybe you want to turn it off now instead of listening to the whole thing, but otherwise, if you have anything that you want to hear about those topics, you would want to listen, because this is going to be a good show.
Speaker 2:
I'm going to start off the show with some statistics that are very alarming when I read them, and then we'll bring on our guest. As of 2020, suicide is the second leading cause of death for US children ages 10 to 14. That blew me away. That just doesn't seem like it should happen and it's just incredible. In 2021, 51.7% of US women received mental health services, while only 40% of men received mental health services. We have mental health issues in this country. We have them all over the world and I wanted to talk about them right here in this community, and I thought the best person to talk to would be Wendy Seidel. She's the executive director of the Greater Reading Mental Health Alliance and I wanted to say hello, how are you?
Speaker 1:
I'm well, thank you, how are you?
Speaker 2:
I'm doing great, I'm doing really well. Thanks for bringing the toy. She brought me a toy, hugo, she brought me a toy. Isn't that nice? A little sunshine. You know, everybody needs a little sunshine in their life, right that's right, that's right, and that happens to be our logo as well. I know and I was around when that was when that became the logo actually.
Speaker 1:
That's awesome.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah. So I was on the board. It's been a while now probably 10, 12, 15 years, I don't know what it is but I was on the board a long time ago and I was on because I'm a consumer. I actually have been medicated since I'm 32 years old for panic attacks and anxiety and thank God for the the medications Zoloft I can get through life, I can do a podcast, I can sell real estate. I can do all these things because of that medication. So I'm very thankful, and I'm also thankful that you're here today and I wanted to go through some of the things. And one of the first things I want to talk about is the stigma. One of the things when I was on the board, one of the things that we were always talking about was how can we get the public or the community or the world to be able to say the word mental health or I have mental health issues, without it being any different than saying I have high blood pressure, I have diabetes.
Speaker 1:
Right, well, and that's a great point, brad, and I mean, you know, the first step, I think, is what you just did. You just admitted you're a mental health consumer and you have been and here you are doing a podcast selling real estate, living your life, living your best life Right. And I too, I'm a consumer. I've had an anxiety disorder since, well, probably since I was born. I was officially diagnosed when I was an adolescent Missed two years of school out of it.
Speaker 2:
Wow, agoraphobic.
Speaker 1:
I was agoraphobic, yeah, and, you know, didn't really know what was going on. A lot of my anxiety manifested itself in physical symptoms. So I was going through all sorts of physical tests as a kid because my parents were just desperate to try to figure out what's wrong with my child and was thankful enough to eventually be referred to a psychologist who figured out that I had this anxiety disorder and, once I started medication and therapy, which I did for decades on and off, changed my life you know, because now anxiety doesn't control me, right, you know, and that's how it used to be.
Speaker 1:
So I think when you're talking about stigma, you're definitely talking about being able to do that. You know, it takes more people in our community to be willing to say, yep, got an anxiety disorder, or yep, struggle with depression or bipolar disorder, or I'm schizophrenic but I'm medicated. I think that's certainly the beginning. Yeah, I agree Is talking about it and I think the stars are doing that.
Speaker 2:
More People in public are starting to do that Absolutely, and I think the stars are doing that. More People in public are starting to do that, and I think years ago they didn't do that, and now you're seeing that they'll come out and say that they have depression or they have anxiety or they have, and you're sitting there looking at a person that you're like holy mackerel. How does this person who made this movie and does all this is suffering from anxiety, and I think people, just they think that those people are perfect. They're not. We all have, we all have certain things that we that are we're dealing with. So, um, yeah, so the stigma, but is it, do you feel it's getting? It is getting better then?
Speaker 1:
I think stigma is certainly getting better than it was for sure. Um, you know, when you were talking about the statistics, that, yeah, there's slightly more women that are in therapy than there are men. I think.
Speaker 2:
And I said that's because men drive you crazy. That's what I said before we started the podcast. Well part of that part of that is.
Speaker 1:
I do think that, um, you know, there's still that stigma around men Um, they need to be strong, um, they can't cry, um, you know, we're not going to go sit in front of um, let's face it, most most helping professions, whether it's social workers or psychologists, therapists, of whatever discipline, are generally female. I think sometimes that's a struggle for a man to be willing to sit down and say listen, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I can't sleep, I don't eat, I can't have a relationship with people. I'm crying all the time.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it's hard to admit that. It's hard to admit that.
Speaker 1:
It's hard to admit it, sure it is Um, but I do think stigma as far as awareness around mental health is certainly getting better Um, not only in Berks County, but I do think, you know, in our, in our nation, you know, because it's just getting, it's kind of getting to a critical point.
Speaker 2:
And that saves lives.
Speaker 1:
It saves lives.
Speaker 2:
It saves lives because before I mean, obviously we, we, we still have too much suicide going on, especially in that 10 to 14 age group, and you had a statistic on that too. I don't know if it was, it was kind of something in that line In 2022,.
Speaker 1:
50,000 people in the United States died by suicide, which is one person every 11 minutes.
Speaker 2:
That's incredible. It's terrible and I can't say it's 100% preventable, but there's got to be a lot of percent. There's a lot we can do to not have that.
Speaker 1:
Sure, Absolutely, and talking about it is a start. It has to be put out there that there are people who will help you. Navigating the mental health system is certainly difficult. It's an underfunded system, Like many helping professions are, you know. The government just doesn't fund mental health as well as it should. So there are wait. You know waiting lists to get into therapy offices. I know that are high copays, absolutely, I know when.
Speaker 2:
I was going high co-pays for insurance. I know, when I was going through my bout and I was, I got, I got diagnosed at a very lady, a very older age, at around 31, was when I had my first major panic attack and it was actually in this building. In this building, yeah, upstairs I'll never forget. And, um, you know, it took a long time for me to see. Well, it took a long time for them to diagnose it. I was in the hospital 11 times in two weeks via ambulance, four or five times Thought I was dying. All this stuff was just a mess and it took a long time until I could actually see a psychiatrist in order to prescribe some type of medicine. You know, because you know your family doctor is really and this is not busting on primary care doctors at all- Not at all.
Speaker 2:
But it's not. And I love my primary care doctor. He's great, but the thing is that's not their specialty.
Speaker 1:
That's right, that's right. And yeah, getting in to see a psychiatrist.
Speaker 2:
Took me six or seven weeks.
Speaker 1:
Not surprising at all. And I would say that the wait list for that could be even longer now, especially for kids. Unfortunately, there just are not enough prescribers who are able to prescribe medication for children.
Speaker 2:
And that's a major major to me is a hurdle or an issue, because I know with my own situation, if I wouldn't have gotten help soon in that period, it could have been a different outcome. And you know too, you went through this. You get to a point where you're like, okay, this is not getting better, I don't know what to do, I can't get help. And now you're like what do I do? How do I get out of this? How do I escape this? And that's where we end up in bad situations.
Speaker 2:
So that, to me, is something I think as a nation we need to work on, that. We need to work on getting more psychiatrists, more therapists, all those things, in order to you got to shorten that time when somebody realizes they're sick and they're in bad shape, because a lot of times, by the time you get to that point, you've already dealt with it for four or five weeks or six weeks or three months. And now you decide and you admit you need help, and now they tell you it's going to be another two, three months. Right, that's a problem.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and that can be a turning point for some people. Absolutely that might be where they decide look, I can't do this. I'll self-medicate you know drinking drugs um, you know, or worse, they decide that you know um a a very permanent solution to a temporary problem. You know is the answer and you know we do. We need insurance reform. I think as well, you know, people shouldn't have to pay or shouldn't have to make a decision about paying a copay versus feeding their family you know.
Speaker 1:
So there's a lot that needs to be done to make that system work a little better, and I think you need to properly compensate the people who are doing that job too. I mean you know if you think about um sitting down and your day from eight to five is basically listening to stories about the worst parts of people's lives, the most painful parts of people's therapy after that right, there is something called vicarious trauma and that's something to deal with you know a whole other topic, but that's what happens sometimes to therapists they get burnout and then they don't stay, and now you're changing therapists and you're telling your story all over again, which is another frustration, for mental health consumers.
Speaker 1:
So we need to make sure that we're paying the people who do this work appropriately as well.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it's incredible. And so let's go into some other things you guys are doing over there at the mental health lines. So the other thing, too, is who can use your services? I mean, that's something I think we've got to get out right away, because if you listen to this show, I think people need to know how do I get help from you guys? What can we do?
Speaker 1:
Okay, so we provide a couple different services and they're basically available to anybody in Berks County. Probably one of the biggest ones that anyone can avail themselves of is just to make a phone call to us for advocacy services. So sometimes it is that question of I don't know where I can go for therapy or I don't know how to fill out this medical assistance application. Where can I go for support?
Speaker 2:
Are there support groups.
Speaker 1:
Sometimes people, just, you know, don't know those answers, and so they can give us a call, they can email us at info at grmhaorg.
Speaker 2:
Okay.
Speaker 1:
Or they can call our main number.
Speaker 2:
And we'll have that information obviously on our socials and stuff like that. We'll make sure all that's in there, so that's. But it's open, so anybody can call you guys and say all right, I don't know where to go.
Speaker 1:
I don't know where to go or how to what to do with this Yep, absolutely, and we'll help you out the best that we're able to.
Speaker 2:
What if we, what if I know, if somebody that's having an issue?
Speaker 1:
we've had some of those phone calls.
Speaker 2:
I mean, you can say hey, so-and-so my brother, my mother, my father's, you know what? How can I get them help? You know that kind of a conversation you can certainly call us, and we can.
Speaker 1:
we can talk through that with you. You know every situation is different, so I can't give one blanket answer as to how to fix a situation, but, um, we'll certainly talk, talk with you about that, and you know, maybe we can reach out to that individual and see if they'd be willing to talk to us. Sometimes it just takes a phone call from somebody who wants to hear what's going on.
Speaker 2:
So true, Knowing somebody cares right.
Speaker 1:
That's right.
Speaker 2:
So then let's go through some of the things you guys do. You do the education advocacy, which I didn't even realize that was on the board before and I don't know if we did it at that time but it wasn't a big topic. But you actually help parents advocate, for if a child needs special help or is a special needs type situation it's called free, appropriate public education you can point them in the right direction or make sure that the child is getting what they need from the public school system.
Speaker 1:
That's right. So we have three educational advocates who all have lived experience.
Speaker 1:
All three of them have children who have some type of special need and they have worked through the special education system with their own children and have worked for our office for many, many years. They are extremely well versed in the special education system. They have wonderful relationships with all the school districts in Berks County and they will work, work with you if your child needs an individual education plan, an IEP. You know, sometimes there are just situations where kids need some physical therapy or occupational therapy in school and they'll work with parents on how to advocate for those services if those children aren't getting them and I don't want that to sound like they're adversarial, you know they're not there to say that the school is bad.
Speaker 1:
I think that's why they've developed such a good relationship with the school districts. They, they will, you know, explain to parents. You know the special education system and the law is very complicated. You know I've I've been at the organization now about five years and I still don't know all the acronyms and what's available and what's out there.
Speaker 1:
Don't know all the acronyms and what's available and what's out there. So these ladies are miracle workers when it comes to special ed. So shout out to them. But you know they will work with families and their kids and teach them how to advocate, and the goal of that service really is to eventually be able to set parents free. You know we want them to be able to advocate. We want everybody to be their own advocate.
Speaker 2:
You know, that's the goal for anything, so that's a wonderful-. There's a sense of pride there with that too, that's right. That's right. You're the parent. You want to know that you're doing the right things. But as a parent, you might need help in the beginning. That's right. There's nothing wrong with that.
Speaker 2:
Once again, the stigma get rid of the stigma, get in and just get the help right. You got it said. I didn't know that. You guys did that. The consumer family satisfaction team this is cool. You guys do surveys for county residents on community care, behavioral health, like you do these surveys that go out to like what? 300, 400 people or something like that.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, the goal is to do 300 a year. So community care behavioral health is the organization that manages medical assistance in Berks County and as part of that service they want to make sure that their members are getting quality services at whatever providers they're going to. So we have one full-time and one part-time staff member who basically go out into the community. They'll go to different therapy offices like Family Guidance Center or Berks Counseling Center and they'll do surveys in person. They also will send out email surveys for people who prefer that through SurveyMonkey. So we'll send out email surveys for people who prefer that through SurveyMonkey and the surveys have some state-guided questions. So there's certain information that gets reported to the state anonymously. Of course your information is never on that, but that helps the state and it helps our county know whether or not providers are providing quality care.
Speaker 2:
Because if they're not, you've got to change it it needs to change. It's accountability, sure, it's accountability and it's accountability, and that's the public's money being used. That's right. So the public should know that it's being used correctly.
Speaker 1:
Indeed, that's right, it makes a lot of sense.
Speaker 2:
That's awesome. I like hearing that you guys do that. And then peer support is another one I know you guys do. Individuals in recovery are able to offer insight into the recovery process. I think that's amazing. So it's somebody that has walked that behavior, has been in those shoes, is now helping somebody that needs help.
Speaker 1:
That's right, so they're called certified peer specialists.
Speaker 1:
They actually go through a training and a certification process and then what they do is we match them to people in the community who've been referred for that service. That's the only service um that we provide at our organization that is funded by medical assistance Um, so, and it's the only real direct mental health service that we'll provide. So if someone is referred to us um for peer support, they generally need um the referral form and they need a recommendation which is signed off on by a practitioner of the healing arts which is, you know, a social worker, a therapist, a counselor, psychologist, things of that nature, and then we get them authorized through medical assistance to provide the service and we match them with one of our certified peer specialists and they can spend up to four hours a day with someone.
Speaker 1:
They'll help them develop an individual recovery plan which kind of outlines what goals and tasks that person wants to work on, and that can be as basic as my anxiety is so bad I can't leave my couch. Yeah, so I want to be able to take a walk around the block.
Speaker 1:
So, our certified peer specialist will work with them on what coping skills can we use to get you outside today? And we'll stand outside for five minutes and talk, and now we'll go back in and process how that went and they'll work with them over the course of months, maybe a year, to get them to finally take that walk around the block. Or it can be goals that are much more, you know, higher level goals that maybe somebody wants to finally get out into the workforce and they just need that support from someone who's been there, who's walked in those shoes, bright red sneakers maybe, as the case may be- Hopefully bright red sneakers.
Speaker 2:
Yes.
Speaker 1:
So it's just somebody who's been there and done that Right, like you know.
Speaker 2:
Isn't it amazing how we can take advice? We can take guidance so much better from somebody that's been through it obviously.
Speaker 1:
Right, you know what I mean, unless you're an adolescent.
Speaker 2:
Unless you're an adolescent. Yeah, then they don't want to hear it, that's true. Parents know nothing. Just so, you know. Parents don't know, that's so true. Yeah, adolescents forget that, but they'll take it from another adolescent, probably Just not from their parents. That's right, unbelievable. That's really cool and I think that's a good one. And then, as far as otherwise, you do support groups, and I know I actually, when I was there, I had an anxiety, panic attack support group and it was tough, you know, it was really interesting, because I remember telling my parents this and this is, you know, back when I was 34, 35, whatever it was, and I was so excited to get this. This support group started through the mental health lines and the problem was a lot of the people wouldn't show up because they would get anxiety before they would come. No, they would get that right.
Speaker 1:
I'm serious.
Speaker 2:
I would get phone calls. They're like I just can't, I can't do it today. I'm like I get it, I get it. Yeah, you know, and there was a person actually was in the support group that was on speakerphone. She was agoraphobic at the time.
Speaker 2:
Just couldn't leave through there and I got it. You know, I totally was in it, but it was interesting. I'm thinking, okay, great, and here's a support group for people that that they get. They have anxiety and they can't make it in because they're they're anxious about it. You know, so it was, it was interesting. But that just shows you how, how difficult it can be for people you know it can be really difficult, and then you do the one.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, an infant or child or a pregnancy. Um, we help us um support the Adeline Rose foundation. Um, there's a couple, there's a bunch of organizations in our community. One of the things we pride ourselves on is that we really want to fill gaps in services in our Berks County community. Um, and if, if our office can do something to support a support group that thereby fills a need, um, that's what we're doing. So we, you know, we have infant loss groups. We have um a grief group that meets at Clearwater wellness. Um, and we're going to talk about this a little later.
Speaker 1:
We have a survivors of suicide group that meets there as well. Um, you know, and a lot of times we'll get calls from people who want to know do you have this kind of support group or can you find?
Speaker 2:
one.
Speaker 1:
And my response is always you know, if I can't find it, I'll create it. And that's kind of what the motto has been for the last five years. If it exists, we'll find it. If we can't find it, we'll create it.
Speaker 2:
And I think that is super important to support groups. I just know from my own situation I will never forget a big breakthrough for me in feeling better was not just being medicated but was seeing a good friend of mine at the grocery store. Of course, when I saw her I was like I just wanted to leave because I was still in that situation where I didn't want to be in the grocery store. I was just like all right, I got to get in and hope I don't see anybody. I want to get out, but normally I'm a very easy. I just want to see people you know, so like when they're, she starts talking to me, she starts telling me how her brother has the same thing, and I'll never forget this. I remember feeling this ease or this, this feeling of comfort, knowing that I wasn't, there was nothing wrong with me.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely.
Speaker 2:
I mean, it was that feeling of, hey, there's nothing wrong with me, her brother has this, he's gone through the same thing, so this is not something that's unique to me, and that's what's great about the support groups?
Speaker 2:
You realize that you know it was a misery loves company, right? Um, some, for some reason, there's comfort in that, you know, knowing that, oh, you have that too. Okay, you know. Well, this is what I how is yours? Does yours manifest this way? Does it manifest that way? Um, so that, that, to me, is probably the one of the most important things. That's how I found you guys. That's how I found you when I was was going through a difficult time was because of the support group thing. You know, I was looking for help, I was looking for somebody to talk to.
Speaker 2:
You know, absolutely. So that's awesome. The, the, the loss team, the loss team outreach to suicide survivors. That was. It's an an important one because unfortunately, we have this hybrid of suicide. There's people left behind. When there's a suicide, you know that person, unfortunately, you know took care of their pain, their hurt, but they are leaving behind pain and hurt. So tell me about that, what you guys are doing with that.
Speaker 1:
Sure. So LOSS stands for Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors, and it was a concept that was started by a Dr Frank Campbell from Louisiana. He was working in a crisis center and also part-time as a coroner in one of the local parishes, and what he started seeing was a lot of people coming into this crisis center who were they themselves were in a crisis, and it revolved around the fact that they had lost someone to suicide years prior and never got any sort of help, and so what he did was he found some individuals who were far enough along in their grief journey similar to peer support that they could be a benefit to people who are just going through it, and he started this postvention model, and what they basically do is they have trained individuals who are either compassionately trained, which means that they have not themselves experienced a loss to suicide, or ideally we have volunteers who have lost someone to suicide.
Speaker 1:
So when I and my colleague went through this training, we basically looked at one another and said why don't we have this in Berks County?
Speaker 1:
I mean, we have this suicide prevention task force and are you okay, berks, and everything like that is wonderful, but why we need this in Berks? So we started this program. We currently have two volunteers, both of whom have lost someone and people. People can self refer to our office. We get referrals from police departments, from the coroner's office, and we basically just need some very brief information on a referral form. That's on our website and we'll have links to that for this podcast too, and we'll reach out to you. One of our volunteers will reach out with you and talk to you about their experience and, and they can point you in some directions for help in our County, we'll reach out to you.
Speaker 1:
One of our volunteers will reach out with you and talk to you about their experience and they can point you in some directions for help in our county. The Survivors of Suicide group meets twice a month at Clearwater Wellness. It is a totally free group.
Speaker 2:
Our office assumes that cost because, we feel that that person has paid a big enough price to have lost, and what's amazing is that person doesn't necessarily have mental health until after that happens.
Speaker 1:
Sure.
Speaker 2:
Doesn't have a mental health issue or a mental health situation at all, and it's just incredible, then the person, the person does that now that they're not here, but that person now lives with this.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, it's a very, very complicated grief process, it's different than losing someone to a natural cause or an accident.
Speaker 2:
Explain real quick about the grocery store. I brought up the grocery store. This was something I didn't know or didn't think about, so I like this story.
Speaker 1:
So this is what makes loss to suicide a more complicated grief process. So if I lose my father to dementia, old age, he passes away and I turn the corner in the grocery store and you're coming down that aisle and you see me, you might have a moment where you're a little bit uncomfortable because you think, oh man, I haven't seen Wendy since her dad died, right. But most times you're a little bit uncomfortable because you think, oh man, I haven't seen Wendy since her dad died, right. But most times you're going to come up to me and say, oh my gosh, Wendy, I heard about your dad.
Speaker 1:
I'm so sorry. Is there anything you need? You know it's good to see you.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, sorry for your loss. Sorry for your loss, your typical. How are you doing? Do you need anything?
Speaker 1:
Flip that around a little bit and you find out that my 15-year-old son died by suicide. Now I come around the corner and you come around the corner and you've been hearing the other parents at the PTO and you've been hearing people at the soccer game saying, hey, did you hear?
Speaker 2:
that this happened Did you hear this happened.
Speaker 1:
You're going to be more inclined, and all of us are. It's human nature. Absolutely To feel so uncomfortable, yeah, that you're going to turn around and you're not going to interact with me which is not fair. That I didn't see you coming right yeah and that makes that loss so much more difficult people lose their natural support systems.
Speaker 1:
We were talking a little bit. You know people who are are very involved in their church. Unfortunately, some churches still see suicide as a sin and those people might not be accepted back by their congregation. I would hope in 2024 we're not at that place.
Speaker 2:
I hope we're in a better place now. I really would.
Speaker 1:
But it's just very different. People don't know what to say.
Speaker 2:
And I agree, just very different. People don't know what to say, and I agree, I that you know. You, just like you said you, I didn't realize that or think about that until you made that analogy of the two different ways of of somebody passing you. You're just not, you're going to avoid the situation because it's uncomfortable, you don't know what to say, you don't know how to comfort them. You think, okay, I don't want to bring it up, you know, because it's different, it's a different way of losing somebody.
Speaker 2:
It is and what's amazing is they're losing their support then because people are avoiding them. It's worse.
Speaker 1:
Right, you know, when someone passes away of old age or in an accident, you know your neighbors are bringing you meals and maybe someone starts to go fund me for you to help you pay for the costs of things. But when someone dies by suicide, people are like it's an uncomfortable place to be.
Speaker 2:
It is Totally.
Speaker 1:
But what you just really need to remember is that person's grieving.
Speaker 2:
Just like everybody else. Just like anybody else Exactly, it's just a different way of doing it. I'll tell you what. Thank you so much for coming in. I really appreciate it. I'll tell you what. Thank you so much for coming in and I really appreciate deep conversation, good conversation. It's a conversation that needs to keep happening it has to happen. It has to keep happening and I can see you coming back in here again. You did your first podcast, did you like it?
Speaker 1:
It's not bad, right, it's not bad.
Speaker 2:
It's not bad at all, it's better than a cold water plunge. I'll tell you that.
Speaker 1:
Agreed If I can leave you with one thing. It's something I saw on a Facebook reel. I'm not a social media fan, but listen, what I've, what I've found, is that it only takes eight minutes to sit in the space with someone to make them feel better.
Speaker 2:
Wow, eight minutes is nothing. So if you want to, be a real friend right, good one have. Have a code word, you have eight minutes. That's cool, that's very cool. Eight minutes is not a lot of time. It's not a lot of time Not to save somebody's life, right, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:
Amazing, unbelievable. All right, boy, what a great show. There you have it. That was the executive director, wendy Seidel, of the Greater Reading Mental Health Alliance. If you are having any type of mental health issues or you know somebody, please look them up. They have all kinds of services to help you. They can definitely put you in the right direction and, believe me, they'll be worth your time. That's about it. Thanks for seeing us here every Thursday at 7 pm. We will be here again next week. See us on Facebook, instagram, youtube and anywhere else you see podcasts. All right, thank you.
