From now until the end of the year if you buy a copy of It’s Lonely at The Center of the Earth all profits will go to mental health charities. The exact ones have yet to be announced, though Mindcharity has been mentioned. Go support the effort and buy a copy if you can, as it’s for a good cause.
Why this is happening is a sad reason. Zoe Thorogood has recently lost her brother, who had ended their life just days ago. It’s a hard subject to talk about but one I think needs to be talked about, so I will try, as a former mental health specialist with seven years of experience who looked after people dealing with this same thing…
But first, here’s Thorogood’s announcement.
You hear the words while working in therapy – such and so – is gone. Worse, you lose a friend. A loved one to it. And a part of you acknowledges that like a seeping cancer of an internalized wound, depression is a very real thing. Taking one’s life even more so.
I’m sharing this story at The Beat to try and bring attention to it. As a former mental health worker who worked with the severely mentally ill trying to prevent this very same thing – I must stress that these stories in my life have been far too many. Of my cohorts finished with their doctoral programs, every one of them, has a type of this story to share… And so do I. Tales of patients lost. Moments of intervention that could have saved a life.
Being around this experience scars you. It’s a big reason I quit and became a writer. In some ways, art had a wider reach than any of my singular intervening moments and despite the lives I saved – I can’t help but feel I didn’t do enough. Which is why you’re here reading these words today. I thought my writing could make a bigger difference.
From my experience, I think we as a society don’t do enough to support the mentally ill. The funding always falls shy and the people making these decisions are often – pretty stupid. Institutions and programs that do good community outreach are needed more than eve before, as getting patients dealing with these difficult feelings to feel like a part of a community, and gain a sense of belonging, often does better for the community than the pill-pushing revolving door of inpatient-outpatient that I see today in the mental health world.
It’s why I think what Zoe Thorogood is doing is a great thing and we should appreciate her sharing her story. I always thought IT’S LONELY AT THE CENTER OF THE EARTH was an important one that needed to exist in the world. So buy a copy if you can – as oddly – it might help someone feel a little less lonely right now.
And to Thorogood and to anyone going through this or has had to go through this (myself included), I think I speak for the entire artistic community that our hearts go with you.
Instead of saying “reach out to someone” please include the national suicide helpline which is 988, available by phone and text. Studies have shown that this can save lives.
Thanks for the reply, but the reason I did not is because that number only works for the US and Canada. Didn’t want to exclude international – particularly the UK, as that’s where a portion of the people reading this would be from.
Also, yes, I could list all hotlines and resources internationally. Unfortunately, as someone who understands the backend – that clutter would also rank this article lower on search – due to google.
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