Heather on Local Sunday News Show

Heather on Local Sunday News Show

Last week, Heather spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the University of Utah’s Neuropsychiatric Institute. The new building is much needed and Heather’s speech was one of her best and most emotional. A local station produced a nice package. I didn’t know that this was going to air and only found out after my mom called to tell me she had seen Heather on TV. I can’t embed the story, but if you click the link below and select “Destigmatizing Mental Illness” it will play just that segment (video will start playing automatically after you click the link):

ksl.com – Destigmatizing mental illness

The resource brings renewed hope for the thousands of people in Utah battling mental illness, including well-known blogger and best- selling author Heather Armstrong. In 2004, she admitted herself while battling post-partum depression.

Of all the things that Heather has lent her voice to, this is perhaps the most meaningful to me on a personal level. The increasing terror I felt going to work each day that summer in 2004 was suffocating and awful as Heather’s depression got worse. When Heather finally realized she needed hospitalization, she was able to get a bed and get the help she needed. We are extremely fortunate that the prescribed drug cocktail worked (and continues to work) as well as it does.

This facility is a great step forward. I’m so proud of Heather for participating and continuing to share her story.

If you or someone you know is suicidal, there are local resources available across the US. Here are a few:

Hopeline at 1-800-784-2433

Hopeline’s Get Help Now page includes multilingual support as well as online chat options

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255

Crisis Center Locator

More locally, the Utah Department of Human Services has a page of phone numbers by county