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Stories about Health Care Systems

Alan Mednick

“I’m Sorry, I Have to Ask These Questions": Normalizing Questions about Suicide in Health Care and Beyond

Suicide risk assessments shouldn’t be treated as awkward requirements to quickly power through. They are opportunities to connect, listen, and maybe, just maybe, reach someone who is silently struggling. The tone we use, the language we choose, and the attitude we bring to these questions matter more than we realize.

The author, Mary Jean Coleman, with her two sons Tom (left) and his twin brother Ryan (right).

In Tom’s Light: Addressing the Intersection of Opioids and Suicide

Opioid use disorder and suicide prevention are two topics that have immense personal meaning for me. As I wrote in a previous blog for AFSP, my son Tom passed away on Friday, September 30th, 2016, after losing his long battle with depression; he died of a heroin overdose.