Marja Bergen

author, mental health advocate, follower of Christ

Tag: suicide (page 1 of 2)

BPD – goodbyes

From Wichita: “Yesterday, I had to say goodbye to a dear friend of mine, because I became emotional and said things I never should have. I tried to be responsible. I walked away so she wouldn’t have to deal with that, because no one should have to. I told my siblings what I really thought […]

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Why live?

May 2017 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. Romans 14:7 “Why live?” was the question I had in the subject line of an email I sent someone years ago. I had asked him to remind me why I should live. It was an honest question. […]

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Where can you turn?

April 2009 Excerpt from A Battle Against Stigma What puzzles me is this: When a person feels so down that they become suicidal they are told that they should reach out. They’re told they should let others know how they’re feeling. Yet how many people really want to be told how crummy a person feels? […]

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Can you understand such pain? (2019)

This story tells – and will continue telling – things that need to be heard. It tries to show the many ways in which stigma, emotional abuse, and rejection can affect a person with mental illness. You are reading about an example, a tragedy in the life of one individual. Within a brief period of […]

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Looking for escape (2019)

“When our pain is emotional our head fills up with it. It’s hard to make room for peace. So hard to  escape except, perhaps, to die.” (from my journal, July 28, 2015) There are various reasons for people wanting to take their lives and I wonder if some of them are more difficult to resist […]

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Are you aware?

LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  253  (October 1, 2009) There’s something else I learned from the suicide loss group that I want to share. In fact, I feel like broadcasting it everywhere. I don’t think any of us realize just how much we’re loved. And especially not when we’re depressed and our perspective is off. Even when […]

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Where can I turn?

LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  231  (April 12, 2009) My roller coaster ride will not stop. I don’t feel so depressed that I don’t want to do anything. Just feel an overwhelming sense of sadness. Trouble with me is that I feel a need to reach out – to draw comfort from others. Yet that kind of […]

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Need for awareness

LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  228  (April 2, 2009) After a week of feeling down, I’m now back to my energetic self. I got a lot done yesterday and today. I’ll probably be doing a presentation at a major bookstore and a signing at another bookstore during Mental Health Week, May 4 – 10. Now I’m trying […]

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Comment on living with purpose (2019)

Coming back to the topic of living a life of purpose introduced in the previous post: Not long ago I published a devotional called LIVING VICTORIOUSLY that addresses the topic of purpose for people with mental health issues. You can access it by clicking http://marjabergen.com/archives/living-victoriously I must tell you how things have been throughout most […]

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Supportive allies

LIVING ROOM  MEMORIES  140  (March 8, 2008) Did I ever have a flu! One like I haven’t had in years! I was too sick to sit at the computer, but had plenty of time to think. One thought I had repeatedly was, “At least I’m not depressed.” Very few things are as bad as depression. […]

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