Maternal suicide is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in the U.S. and up to 20% of maternal deaths are due to suicide. People of color are more likely to report suicidal ideation in the immediate postpartum period as compared to their white counterparts, with Asian women cited as 9x more likely.

Yet, we don't hear about the stories as much. This is why it is so important to continue the conversation about maternal suicide. For the month of September, we like to honor National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month with an episode on this difficult but crucial topic.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode will discuss maternal suicide, which may be difficult or distressing for some of our listeners. Your mental health matters and we fully support doing what you need to do to take care of yourself. This space will be here if you ever wish to come back at a different time to listen.

Last year, our most listened to episode by far was Episode 2-Break the Stigma for Nima: A Conversation on Maternal Suicide with Priya Bhakta and we were blown away that people were open to listening to a hard topic and conversation. So this year, we have with us Deven Bhakta, the late Nima Bhakta's husband, to tell his side of the journey.

Nima Bhakta was a South Asian mother lost to maternal suicide on July 24, 2020 after suffering from postpartum depression. Her legacy lives on as her family chose to talk publicly about her story and call it what it was--suicide--in hopes of helping other families out there who may be going through similar struggles. And her story has saved lives, within mere hours of sharing her story.

In AAPI communities, the topic of suicide can be so taboo, but this generation of parents is realizing that the stigma of mental health illness and seeking help for it is more harmful than helpful. Deven reflects with us about some of the signs that may have been red flags and how Indian American families can be both blessings and curses. We talk about how he has coped and healed from the loss of Nima as well as other family members in his life during the same year.

Deven talks about finding his way to therapy and how he continues to heal and raise their little boy. He discusses what they do each year to honor Nima's legacy and raise awareness and funds to donate to organizations focused on supporting maternal mental health and AAPI mental health.

For more information and to connect with Nima's story:

Resources (call or text):

National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988
National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1-833-852-626 (833-TLC-MAMA)
Postpartum Support International Hotline: 1-800-944-4773

Note: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own. This podcast is not a replacement for therapy or professional/medical advice.

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