Understand Suicide

Next Monday, June 5th I will be offering a free online course on how to help a suicidal person from 9 am to 12 pm, Pacific Time. This course is being offered by the Department of Human Services, DHS of the State of Oregon. To register, click on the link below: https://www.orparc.org/training/online/2040 Hope you join us, this is a rare opportunity to learn about this difficult topic and how to take care of yourself while you help those in need. Paula --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

Alexandra Wyman lost her husband to suicide in August of 2020 and like many of us, she was numbed, in shock, then she was filled with questions. Now, almost three years later, she has found some answers, which she shares in her book "The Suicide Club: What to Do When Someone You Love Chooses Death.” In this interview, she talks about her journey, what helped her, and what got in the way, and she offers a road back to peace and joy for anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide. The book shows a way forward through any anger, blame, or judgment, toward acceptance and peace. Find the book: https://amzn.to/45AJRY3 Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with Loss, paths to Prevention:” https://amzn.to/45kQu0n Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n Visit my page ⁠www.understandsuicide.com Check my YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3MNF5yG If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

Dr. Laura Shannonhouse, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at Georgia State University. In this interview, we talk about the results from her latest research regarding suicide among older adults. She wanted to know if a small dose of sincere connection would improve mental health outcomes in this population and the findings are shared with us in this conversation. This interview is part of a series that covers the American Association of Suicidology's conference, which is taking place in Portland, Oregon, throughout this week. Every day, I will be posting one or more episodes on topics related to suicide prevention and postvention. Check the agenda of the conference here: https://bit.ly/3mAuEEq Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with Loss, paths to Prevention:” https://amzn.to/3XyxQwR Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

Leeann Sherman is the president of the American Association of Suicide Prevention, AAS. In this interview, we discuss the role of AAS in the field of Suicidology, her personal involvement in this area, how we’ve evolved in terms of stigma and empirical knowledge, and much more. This interview is part of a series that covers the American Association of Suicidology's conference, which is taking place in Portland, Oregon, throughout this week. Every day, I will be posting one or more episodes on topics related to suicide prevention and postvention. Check the agenda of the conference here: https://bit.ly/3mAuEEq Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with Loss, paths to Prevention:” https://amzn.to/3XyxQwR Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

Sarah Gaer is a loss survivor and advocate who works with the concept of soul exhaustion. Her keynote today was a "wow" moment for me because it gave language to something most of us feel but have no way to describe. I'm sure many of you will feel similar when you hear what she has to say. This interview is part of a series that covers the American Association of Suicidology's conference, which is taking place in Portland, Oregon, throughout this week. I will be posting daily interviews so come back tomorrow for more. Check the agenda of the conference here: ⁠https://bit.ly/3mAuEEq⁠ Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with Loss, paths to Prevention:” ⁠https://amzn.to/3XyxQwR⁠ Visit my page ⁠www.understandsuicide.com ⁠ Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." ⁠https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n⁠ If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: ⁠https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org⁠ Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

Dr. Robert Canning is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating suicidal patients. In this interview, he talks about the skills we clinicians need to learn in order to assess and treat this population. This interview is part of a series that covers the American Association of Suicidology's conference, which is taking place in Portland, Oregon, throughout this week. I will be posting daily interviews and tomorrow, I will attend the Healing after Suicide Loss Summit. Check the agenda of the conference here: https://bit.ly/3mAuEEq Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with Loss, paths to Prevention:” https://amzn.to/3XyxQwR Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

This week, the American Association of Suicidology will hold its annual conference in Portland and I will be posting daily interviews, so come back every day because I will be talking about many topics of interest to you. Check the agenda of the conference here: https://bit.ly/3mAuEEq Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with Loss, paths to Prevention:” https://amzn.to/3XyxQwR Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

Marie lost her husband, Joe, in June 2020. They had been together for thirty years and were also business partners, so as you may imagine, after his death, she had to pick up the pieces of her life. In this episode, she shares her journey, including the family secret he kept from her for years and its impact on his mental health. “He could not come to terms with what his memory was revealing to him in bits and pieces. In the last month of his life, especially, he was sure to tell me every day how beautiful I was, how much he loved me, how sorry he was that he hadn’t spent our whole marriage telling me these things daily,” she says If you want to support my channel, buy me a coffee. https://bit.ly/3whorPH Watch this interview on my YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3mgJm3d Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with loss, paths to prevention:” https://amzn.to/3XyxQwR Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

On my 100th episode celebration, I interviewed Dr. Kirk Honda, a therapist and host of the podcast Psychology in Seattle. He has a Doctorate in Psychology, a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy, has been working as a psychotherapist since 1996, and he’s been a professor since 1998. In the first part of this interview, Kirk talks about his experience with suicidal patients, as well as the theory he has developed over the years about self-inflicted death. In the second half of our conversation, Kirk and I get personal as he talks about his life, relationships, and the making of the podcast “Psychology in Seattle,” which by the way, is my favorite podcast. Find Dr. Kirk Honda: https://www.psychologyinseattle.com/ Watch this interview on my YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3KDK2cD Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with Loss, paths to Prevention:” https://amzn.to/3QYe0II Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

This interview was given to Georgena Grace, CEO of the Integrated Wellbeing Institute. Georgena knows suicide from a personal perspective: she lost both her brother and son to suicide. She currently works with grief patients and trains mental health professionals. Find the Integrated Wellbeing Institute: https://integratedwellbeinginstitute.com/ Watch this interview on Georgina’s YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3lD0K1n If you want to support my channel, buy me a coffee. https://bit.ly/3whorPH Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with loss, paths to prevention:” https://amzn.to/3XyxQwR Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

This is a quick request: Could you please go to YouTube and subscribe to my channel? It’s called Understand Suicide. This way I can maybe monetize the channel and pay someone to edit the videos and audios. It would mean a lot to me and I would be able to do more interviews. As you know, I don’t have ads, sponsors, or Patreon, because I just never found anything that would be suitable due to the topic that I cover. Thank you so much. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

When Dr. Aruna Tummala, MD, came to the United States, she quickly learned that being a doctor here meant something quite different from her experience in India, her country of origin. One of the first things she was told at the University was never to touch her patients, which was quite shocking to her. She looks at the patient in a holistic manner and avoids conventional medication, particularly when the patient comes in with psychiatric issues. In this interview, Dr. Tummala shares her wisdom and approach to medicine. One of the things she said was that the three root causes of any disease are: a bad diet, trauma (physical and mental), and toxins. That is where she focuses her attention. According to Dr. Tummala, only 1% to 2% of her patients take psychotropic medication. Dr. Tummala is a board-certified adult and geriatric psychiatrist and founder of Trinergy Health in New Berlin, Wisconsin. She is also board certified in Integrative and Holistic Medicine (by the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine) and has received training in Functional Medicine and Ayurveda, the oldest medical system in the world. Inspired by the realization that conventional psychiatry has become a linear, medication-dependent, symptoms-based model with little to offer the millions of people struggling with mental illness, Dr. Tummala turned to Integrative Psychiatry, fully embracing its patient-centered, collaborative care approach. Watch this interview on my YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3Jy8DPG Find Dr. Tummala Aruna: https://bit.ly/3Jyw2jV Dr. Tummala’s resources: https://bit.ly/3RrO49z If you want to support my channel, buy me a coffee. https://bit.ly/3whorPH Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with loss, paths to prevention:” https://amzn.to/3DA3pz7 Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

In this episode, I talk to Stacey Freedenthal, who just came out with a wonderful new book entitled "Loving Someone with Suicidal Thoughts: What Family, Friends, and Partners Can Say and Do.” I’m sure this will be tremendously helpful to those who have loved ones struggling with suicidal thoughts and ideation. Watch this interview on my YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3whWdn6 Find Stacey’s book and take advantage of the promotion in January: https://bit.ly/3QN3bKk Find the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QLCHJm Check Stacey’s website: https://staceyfreedenthal.com/ If you want to support my channel, buy me a coffee. https://bit.ly/3whorPH Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with loss, paths to prevention:” https://amzn.to/3QSyiEn Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

In this conversation, Dr. Doreen Marshal, Ph.D., vice President of Mission Engagement at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, talks about how to avoid - or at least diminish - stress during the holiday season. Doreen has a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in Professional Counseling. If you want to support my channel, buy me a coffee. https://bit.ly/3whorPH Find out more about the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at: https://afsp.org Watch this interview: https://youtu.be/ad1ZVqhpXlg Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with loss, paths to prevention:” https://amzn.to/3hUWSXO Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

In this episode, Army Major General, Mark Graham talks to us about the loss of his two sons, Jeffrey and Kevin, one of them being of suicide. He tells us how his family dealt with the shock and pain brought up by Kevin’s suicide, how it affected each member of the family, and how they came together to heal from the compounded grief of losing both kids within a short period of one year. He also shares with us the beautiful work he does as a director of Vets4Warriors, a peer-to-peer support network for veterans and their families. Mark and his wife Carol have become mental health advocates; they want to make sure that their losses can be transformed into vessel of hope. If you want to support my channel, buy me a coffee. https://bit.ly/3whorPH Find out more about Vets4Warriors: https://www.vets4warriors.com/ Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with loss, paths to prevention:” https://amzn.to/3hUWSXO Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

Send questions and comments to understandsuicide@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

We are reaching the 100th episode and instead of interviewing someone, you get to ask ME questions. Please send an audio recording with questions or maybe let me know how my podcast has touched your life. It would mean the world to me. The questions can be about the podcast (curiosities, specific interviews, etc), my life, the making of the podcast, or anything you want. Send it to the email understandsuicide@gmail.com. It can be audio or just a regular email. Please let me know if you want your name to be revealed. The deadline is October 20th. Thank you for participating, it's your chance to be part of this journey. Paula --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

When Lisa Klein was 18 years old, she had already lost her father and brother to suicide, and as it often happens, she felt that their deaths had to be related to who she was: “My thought was that it was a reflection on me, that I wasn’t good enough” she says. Her family shut down, suicide was not discussed. “We couldn’t talk about it and I had so many questions.” Years later, she started talking to loss survivors with the intent of producing a film about it. During the interviews, Lisa got in touch with people who had attempted suicide and decided that sharing their stories would be more beneficial. “I wanted to talk to people about being on the edge and what brought them back.” The result is a great documentary called “The S Word.” In this interview, the film director Lisa Klein shares some of the beautiful stories portrayed in the film and how it helped her understand her brother and father’s suicide. If you want to support my channel, buy me a coffee. https://bit.ly/3whorPH Learn about the film “The S Word:” https://bit.ly/3dLtDoO Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with loss, paths to prevention:” https://amzn.to/3QYe0II Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

When her son CJ took his life at the age of 20, Hallie was numb, confused, and full of guilt. One day, she had an idea: Hallie put out an open call on Facebook asking people to help fulfill her son's wish to see the world by scattering some of his ashes in a place of beauty or special meaning. Her initiative touched the hearts of tens of thousands of people all over the world. To this day, over one thousand volunteers have taken CJ to over one hundred countries and out of space. While crisscrossing the globe, his ashes and his family’s story have given rise to a social media phenomenon — a worldwide community — that has congregated in solidarity and empathy in dealing with a still heavily stigmatized and misunderstood form of mental illness. In this interview, you will get to know CJ's story and hear about the overwhelming response Hallie received, which became the documentary “Scattering CJ.” The documentary has just been released on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). If you want to support my channel, buy me a coffee. https://bit.ly/3whorPH Watch " Scattering CJ:" https://www.pbs.org/show/scattering-cj/ Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n Find my book "Understanding suicide: living with loss, paths to prevention:” https://amzn.to/2ANczuR If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message

The bestseller author Terri Cheney has struggled with bipolar disorder since childhood. In this amazing interview, she talks about decades of multiple misdiagnoses, which took a toll on her life and stopped her from receiving proper treatment, and her suicide attempts. One of the things I love about this conversation was her openness to sharing not only her grounded knowledge of the disease but also how destructive it has been on her relationships. For those who have to live through the challenges of bipolar disorder, Terri gives helpful tips on how to keep themselves safe when the disease is shouting “just do it.” The other interesting aspect of this interview is her ability to cross the road to the other side of bipolar disease and compassionately relate to the people who are in relationships with someone who has the condition. Some of the questions she answers are: What is the difference between hypomania and mania? What about bipolar one and two? Why are bipolar patients so often misdiagnosed with depression? Terry has been through it all but today she has found ways to live a full life. Better yet, she has decided to join us in the fight against the stigma that comes with mental illnesses. “Being able to put a name on my cluster of symptoms was such a turning point in my life because the first time in my life I didn’t feel guilty about my rather extreme thoughts and behavior. It also allowed me to get the kind of treatment I needed.” If you want to support my channel, buy me a coffee. https://bit.ly/3whorPH Find the book on Amazon, where I have an affiliate account. This means that I get a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my work: - Manic, a memoir: https://amzn.to/3Cqexie - Modern Madness: An Owner's Manual - https://amzn.to/3cmNWbf - The Dark Side of Innocence (Growing up Bipolar) - https://amzn.to/3R6VwFW Find Terri Cheney on Psychology Today - https://bit.ly/3QJJiTz Find my book "Understanding Suicide: Living with loss, paths to prevention:” https://amzn.to/3QYe0II Visit my page www.understandsuicide.com Enroll in my course "How to help suicidal people." https://bit.ly/3klNZ7n If you need to talk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Phone: 800-273-8255 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula-fontenelle/message