Families split up or were seriously disabled by more than 30,000 of our friends and neighbors who finally succumbed to the pain and took their own lives. An additional 100,000 people tried and failed. One in five children today suffers from some form of emotional disturbance. Only 30 percent seek help. Another Columbine is waiting to happen in towns and cities throughout our country.
Nothing sells better today than an endorsement by a well-known individual.
It would take a lot of guts but Mike Wallace, Dick Cavett, Tipper Gore and others have already done so. We need our own group of visible Coloradans to tell their stories. The stigma of mental illness is real but surmountable. Billions of dollars are spent on our physical health and well being. It is time to take care of our mental health as well.