A suicide attempt is made once every minute in the United States; a suicide is completed once every 15 to 18 minutes. The annual suicide rate is higher than the mortality rates from homicide, AIDS, and most forms of cancer.
Live Through This is a project about life on the other side of a suicide attempt.
Through the presentation of portraits of suicide attempt survivors and the stories they share, the mission of Live Through This is as follows:
· present suicide as the complex, multi-dimensional issue it is;
· reduce stigma and break down stereotypes associated with suicide and who considers/attempts it by showing the viewer the faces of those who have lived through the experience and gone on to lead successful, fulfilling lives;
· increase awareness of suicide as a pervasive social issue that no one is immune to;
· promote suicide prevention education;
· encourage dialogue about suicide, especially if a loved one is potentially at-risk;
· reduce the fear and taboo of "suicide" as a dirty word.
I believe I can begin to achieve these goals by embracing individuals who have come out from behind their veil of shame to tell me--and the world--who they are now and who they were, where and how they got there, and what brought them to a place in time where they relish their ability to continue living. In sharing their journeys of struggle and survival, we can begin to honor, respect, and educate in an open and accepting forum. The hope is that our voices will strengthen and compel those in need (self, family, friends, co-workers) to get the help they require.
Ideally, the work will culminate in gallery exhibitions, as well as in book format.
I am currently seeking the help of individuals who have attempted suicide, and who are willing to both share their story with me and sit for a portrait. If this catches your fancy, please contact us. Tell us your age (21+ ONLY, please), location, and as much as you're comfortable with sharing about your past experience with suicide, as well as what your life looks like now. Please be willing to sign a model release.
It should be noted that this is a long-term project, and thus, it may take some effort to coordinate meeting/shooting sessions, especially if you are located outside of the immediate New York City area. Your patience is greatly appreciated.
My name is Dese'Rae L. Stage. I am a photographer who makes pictures of people who make life worth living. Executed in bold color and high contrast, the majority of my work centers on musicians and the live show experience. My images address music as emotional catharsis and, in many cases, isolate the artist as a singular, untouchable figure. I am self-taught.
In December 2005, I completed my Bachelor of Science in Psychology at East Tennessee State University, where I helped to co-author a comprehensive self-injury self-report (SISR) measure as a part of my undergraduate studies. I also participated in developing studies looking at the influence of stigma on interpersonal relationships of self-injurers; the effects of knowledge and conservatism on the stigma of self-injury; suicidality and responses to attempters; and the relationships between intimate violence, self-esteem, sexual orientation, and gender. I am trained in crisis intervention, including time served in 2005 as a hotline counselor and rape care companion at the Crisis Center in Bristol, VA. I have participated in LivingWorks’s Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and am a certified QPR Gatekeeper.
I am a survivor of nine years of self-injury and a suicide attempt catalyzed by an emotionally and physically abusive lesbian relationship. I was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder in 2004, but have regulated fluctuations in mood without medication and have been functioning at a high level since 2006.
I live in New York City with my wife, Katie, and our menagerie of pets with people names. You can see more of my work at deseraestage.com
If you feel you are in crisis, don't hesitate to ask for help. Talk to a friend or family member, or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 and remain 100% anonymous.
I met Joey Olszewski in McCarren Park in Brooklyn. I found out in the middle of our interview that we were just feet from where he made his attempt. I’m so glad that suicide wasn’t one of his successes. Below, he discusses his methods of coping with his attempt as well as the reality that mental health takes real work to achieve, and it isn’t always easy.
Eventually, it just got to the point where I was just sick of being sad like that, and I just got real, real positive. I changed my group of friends. We abide by this philosophy… I’m not sure if we invented it, but it’s just something we just do to each other to remind each other to keep our heads up, because we’ve all struggled with these issues. At least, the friends that I have now that are a bit more mature like that.
‘P.M.A. – Positive Mental Attitude’ is what we call it. If anything bad ever happens, we always go and hang out with each other and provide that solidarity, but it’s not commiseration. It’s always like, ‘Listen, you’re going through this shit, but you got this. It’s not the end of the world.’ That’s the most important thing to remember, I think.
Right now, I feel like I’m doing so much better. I still think about it sometimes, but it’s…I’m struggling for the right way to phrase this. It’s difficult because, unless you’ve gone through that, unless you’ve gotten to the point where you’re willing to end your reality because it’s gotten that crappy, it’s hard to explain to someone. They’re just like, ‘Why would you ever want to do that?’ They can’t relate at all.
My perception of reality has changed, I think. I feel so grateful for the things that I thought used to bring me down. Like empathy, humility—things that would be unrelated to me entirely. I would read something in the news and I would just get so depressed by it and now I’m grateful that I have that much compassion for the world.
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If you would like to participate in Live Through This, please contact me.
If you think you know someone who might be interested in participating, please pass along the link to this entry or to the LTT website.
If you’re sympathetic to the cause, please tweet about it, or post a link on Facebook or G+, and ask your friends to re-post it. The more eyes that see this, the better.
If you would like to help fund the project, click here.
If you want to follow LTT on Twitter, you can do that here.
If you want to buy a LTT logo t-shirt, you can do that here. We currently only have 1 S, 2 L, and 1 XL left in stock.
Thanks, always, for your support, and more thanks to Cat Downs for helping me with transcription.
