On Thursday, April 11, Union University’s Counseling Services hosted their annual event Finding You at the U in the GM Savage Memorial Chapel.
Every year, the counseling services at Union put together an event that confronts hard issues that affect people’s mental health. Last year, the event discussed divorce. This year, the event tackled the heavy topic of suicide.
They did this by showing a documentary called “Suicide: The Ripple Effect.” The documentary was focused on Kevin Hines, who at 19 attempted suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Hines goes through his story by confronting those affected by the actions he tried to carry out at 19.
Because of his miraculous survival, Hines has dedicated his second chance to traveling around the world to give inspirational talks on the seriousness of mental health. His story inspires and gives much hope in the midst of others’ own battles with mental health.
One issue discussed in the documentary was the stigma attached to men in our society: Men can’t cry, and if they do, they are weak. Because this stigma is wrongfully being attached to men, many do not go to receive the help they need out of shame of what others might think. Hines confronts this with a simple analogy.
If your heart was failing, you would not be embarrassed to go to the doctor to get help because you know you cannot fix the problem on your own. Hines goes on to explain how mental health, or “brain pain,” is just the same. Your brain is just another organ in your body, and if it needs help because it is in pain, then there is no shame in that.
After watching the documentary, Counseling Services brought out several panelists who have in some way been caught in the ripple effect of suicide. The students who attended the event could then anonymously send in questions through text that the panelists would answer.
Many left the event encouraged and inspired by the words of Hines and the panelists.
“This was a great event. The film was really insightful and the discussion afterward highlighted that though everyone’s story is different, just about everyone has been personally impacted by suicide,” said Gillian Gandy, a senior business major. “Just as the negative ripple effects touch so many people from one incident, so can the positive effects of talking openly and willing to be vulnerable with those who may be struggling with the same thing. This event shed some light on a topic we often do not discuss.”
Moving forward, we can push others and ourselves on with the words of Hines: “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is our gift. That is why they call it the present. Let us always cherish today, and every single day.”
