How to Support Someone with Depression: Lessons from a Suicide Prevention Researcher

In this episode of Giving Voice to Depression, Sarah—a suicide prevention researcher and PhD student—shares her deeply personal experience of living with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Despite her professional expertise, Sarah found herself consumed by fear, hopelessness, and a plan to end her life.

Her story reveals the immense difficulty of asking for help when trapped in depression’s grip, even when surrounded by knowledge and support. Sarah speaks candidly about the night she nearly ended her life, the courage it took to wake her husband and go to the emergency room, and the long, slow process of recovery.

We also explore the importance of safety planning, the reality of depression’s power to silence, and how we can step up to support others who may be unable to advocate for themselves.

This is a powerful reminder that depression is not a personal failing, that professional expertise doesn’t provide immunity, and that speaking up can save lives.

Primary Topics Covered:

• The disconnect between professional expertise and lived experience of depression
• Postpartum depression, anxiety, and health-related fears
• The transition from fear of dying to planning suicide
• Why it’s so difficult to ask for help in crisis
• The importance of emergency phrases like “I’m having a psychological emergency”
• Safety plans as life-saving tools
• How loved ones and communities can “wrap around” people in crisis
• The role of empathy and lived experience in suicide prevention research

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to the episode
 01:00 - Why asking for help can feel impossible in depression
 02:00 - Meet Sarah: suicide prevention researcher and PhD student
 03:30 - Sarah’s postpartum depression and health scare
 04:30 - The cycle of anxiety and depression intensifying
 05:30 - From fear of dying to planning suicide
 06:20 - Why her husband’s presence saved her life
 07:00 - Struggling to know what to say at the ER
 08:20 - The power of honesty when asking for help
 09:00 - Therapy, medication changes, and slow recovery
 10:10 - How lived experience shapes suicide prevention research
 11:30 - Why intervention must happen before a crisis
12:30 - The limits of self-advocacy in crisis
13:40 - The role of family, friends, and coworkers in support
14:50 - Safety plans and why they matter
16:00 - Preview of next week’s episode on creating a safety plan
16:30 - Closing thoughts and community invitation

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