In our culture, we are mostly silent about suicide. But when celebrities die by suicide – as Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain did last week, the issue becomes front-page news. Anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide can attest to its utter devastation. This devastation becomes widespread when famous people die, as evidenced by the waves of social media posts and tributes to Spade and Bourdain. We try to make sense of celebrity suicides and we turn to the media for details. Robin Williams’ death in 2014 was widely publicized, and when Marilyn Monroe died in 1962, her death was glamorized in the media, including details of the method. The deaths of these two famous people led to an increase in suicides. That’s because sensational reporting can create “contagion,” where the suicide becomes the tipping point for people who are already at-risk.
Get ready to #GETLOUD
Mental Health Week is May 7 – 13th. Check in on your mental health.
Join CMHA Kelowna and ride to GET LOUD about mental health
On June 24, 2018 CMHA Kelowna is bringing their fundraising cycling event Ride Don’t Hide back to the community, to be known locally as The Payton and Dillon Budd Memorial Ride.
“At CMHA Kelowna, we want to let anyone struggling in silence to know they are not alone,” explains Shelagh Turner, CMHA Kelowna Executive Director. “That’s why we’re dedicating our Ride Don’t Hide event to the memory of two brothers in our community. The Payton and Dillon Budd Memorial Ride serves as a rallying point for us all and a reminder that we are not alone.” Turner says there has been a significant shift in the community in recent years, “Kelowna has become more focussed and more purposeful in coming together to talk about the meaning and importance of one’s mental health, and building of community so people do not feel so isolated and alone.”