Seven months ago, Chester Bennington's wife (Talinda Bennington) and sister (Tobi Bennington) made a video. A fellow member of one of my suicide loss support groups posted it on our online group page, today. It reminded me of the great work that can be done by those who have suffered such heartbreaking losses. Talinda and Tobi began the I Am the Change effort in response to the tragedy of Bennington's loss to suicide.
In particular, I appreciate Tobi Bennington's statement about stigma:
"There should be no stigma around the words 'mental health'. And without that stigma, I think that the shame and secrecy would go away. That secrecy is what is killing us."
The video has been viewed over 13,000,000 times. Bravo to Talinda and Tobi for sharing their message, especially when their grief was so fresh.
Telling our truth and speaking up is how we will change and save lives, and how we ourselves will heal.
Here is the video, in case you haven't seen it, or if you would like to watch again:
Telling our truth and speaking up is how we will change and save lives, and how we ourselves will heal.
Here is the video, in case you haven't seen it, or if you would like to watch again:
