Chantelle Friedman describes her dad as the strongest person she’s ever known.
“Mentally, physically, spiritually, he was just one of those guys that everybody looked up to and everyone came to because he could really handle everything,” said Friedman.
While he was strong, he still faced mental health struggles of his own.
“In 2017 we had a lot of things happening within our extended family - addiction, some mental illness, and just a lot of stressors,” said Friedman. “On Christmas Day he told me he was simply struggling to sleep because of all the stress on his plate and we knew that things were going to get worse before they got better and so I encouraged him to see his family physician. About a week after starting medications, he was having thoughts of suicide.”
That's when he was admitted to Avera Behavioral Health Hospital.
“After about a week of being in behavioral health, we felt that things were getting better and it was safe for him to go home,” said Friedman.
But just a short time later, he was still struggling and died by suicide.
Facing Mental Health Struggles
“He left us a note and said the pain was just too great,” said Friedman. “About six months after I lost my dad, I also lost two grandparents. That and all the family dynamics that go along with losing family members, led me to a very dark path and then in September of 2018 I no longer wanted to be here.”
She knew she needed to get help to address these concerns and turned to Avera.
Seeking Help
“I was able to get in and see a psychiatrist and psychologist with outpatient appointments and work through those really hard things that I’ve dealt with in my life and then work through the loss of my dad,” said Friedman.
Clinical psychologist with Avera Behavioral Health, Nancy Johnson says the stigma around mental health shouldn’t deter you from getting the help you need.
“I think one of the misconceptions is that if you have any issue that you need to talk to a therapist about, that there is something that is really wrong with you, like you have to be very sick in order to seek mental health treatment, and that is actually not true. Some of the people who make the best gains in therapy and with medication tend to be people who come in early,” said Johnson.
The help Chantelle received in therapy led her to the start of her non-profit, Live Inspired 365.
Part of that mission includes providing journals and care packages to patients at Avera Behavioral Health.
“When my dad was a patient at behavioral health, one of the things he called and asked me for was a journal, and I knew that I could take him a journal,” said Friedman. “He was able to start that healing process while he was still in the hospital.”
“Being involved in things that help other people,” said Johnson. “It’s sort of a way to honor their memory but also feel like you’re actually doing something because suicide can leave people with the feeling of regret. This is something that they can do to make a difference to others.”
Chantelle turned her pain into purpose and she wants people to know that there is hope.
“No matter what you are going through right now, it’s not always going to feel this way, it’s not always going to feel dark, things are absolutely going to get better, it might take a little time to get there, there are a lot of ups and downs but you can always get better,” said Friedman.
Some patients from Avera Behavioral Health that received care packages and journals from Chantelle’s organization now come volunteer with the non-profit.
Learn more about suicide awareness and resources at Avera.
