Tag: stigma

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

Neurodivergence and Suicide Risk

barefootfaithjourney

Neurodivergence and suicide risk

Autism, ADHD, and the Risk We Don’t Talk About

When we talk about suicide prevention, conversations often center on depression, anxiety, and trauma. These are critical discussions but there’s another group we need to talk about more openly: neurodivergent individuals living with autism, ADHD, and related conditions.

The Hidden Risk

Research shows that people on the autism spectrum are up to nine times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. For children and teens with ADHD, the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors is also significantly higher than average. These sobering statistics highlight a painful truth: neurodivergent individuals are often overlooked in suicide prevention efforts.

Why the increased risk?

  • Social isolation: Difficulty making or maintaining friendships can leave kids feeling lonely and disconnected.

  • Bullying and stigma: Neurodivergent children are disproportionately bullied, rejected, or misunderstood.

  • Masking: Many autistic and ADHD individuals feel pressure to hide who they are to “fit in,” which leads to exhaustion and shame.

  • Barriers to care: Mental health professionals may overlook or misunderstand neurodivergent presentations of depression or distress, delaying proper support.

Listening Beyond the Surface

One challenge in supporting neurodivergent individuals is that their struggles may not always look like “typical” signs of depression. A child who melts down or withdraws may be expressing overwhelming internal pain. Instead of labeling behavior as “problematic,” we need to ask what’s driving it beneath the surface.

How We Can Do Better

  1. Create safe spaces for expression. Encourage children to communicate in whatever way works best through words, art, movement, or assistive technology.

  2. Educate caregivers and schools. Parents, teachers, and peers need tools to understand and support neurodivergent kids without shame or punishment.

  3. Challenge stigma. Normalize conversations about autism, ADHD, and mental health. Empathy and acceptance are protective factors.

  4. Prioritize connection. Suicide risk decreases when children feel seen, valued, and supported. A consistent adult who listens can make a life-saving difference.

  5. Advocate for specialized care. Therapists and providers trained in both neurodivergence and suicide prevention are essential.

A Call to Action

Every child deserves to feel that their life matters. By paying closer attention to the intersection of neurodivergence and suicide risk, we can break silence, raise awareness, and build systems of support that truly protect vulnerable kids and teens.

💛 If you or someone you love is struggling, please know you are not alone. In the U.S., you can dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to connect with help right away.

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Medical, Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis

Let’s Talk Hair Loss in Women

Brandi C

Let’s Talk Hair Loss in Women

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Let’s Talk Hair Loss in Women

Hair loss in women can be devastating. Let me rephrase that—hair loss in women IS devastating. No matter who you are or how confident you are in your own skin, it is a hard reality. Can people adjust, accept, and learn to love themselves through it? Yes, they can! But for me, that hasn’t been the case. My hair loss stems from Psoriasis, which has led to Psoriatic Arthritis.

What I didn’t fully realize was how bad it had gotten until I saw pictures of myself. My husband tried to sugarcoat it, saying, “It’s not that bad.” But let me tell you, it was that bad. And sometimes it still is. The real wake-up call came when I showed my mom, and her gasp confirmed how bad things had gotten. She wasn’t trying to be unkind—she was just shocked because I’d been hiding it so well.

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Stigma About Hair Loss in Women

The stigma around hair loss in women is huge. People often say, “Just get a wig,” but getting a good-quality wig is expensive. And at the end of the day, every woman just wants a head full of beautiful hair. My therapist suggested I try extensions, which would cost around $3,000 a year. As much as I’d love that, I don’t have the money—or the hair to attach the extensions to.

I did try a halo-style wig, but that didn’t work well either. If you don’t have enough hair to hide the band around it, the wig just doesn’t look natural. I tried Rogaine for women, but it was a waste of time and money. For a while, I avoided washing my hair until my hairstylist told me I had to wash my scalp at least once a week to help with natural oils. I wouldn’t even comb my hair for fear of it falling out in clumps.

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Rallying the Troops

The depression hit rock bottom when I could no longer hide it. In a truly loving way, my hairstylist encouraged me to keep going. “It will grow back. We’ll find you a really good wig. You’re beautiful.” Her encouragement was a lifeline. My sisters and my mom rallied together, and we made plans for a day trip to meet one of my sisters in Tennessee.

We’d done something similar before, just to spend time together, but this time had a different purpose: wig shopping. My sister found a place called Top This Wigs in Murfreesboro, TN. The store is private and appointment-only, which was exactly what I needed. The owner of the store, a woman whose husband had cancer, turned the business into a mission to help others.

When we arrived, my family dove into looking for wigs, and I stood there, overwhelmed with shame and sadness. They picked out a few for me to try on, and when I sat in the chair and looked at myself in the mirror, I broke down in tears. Surrounded by my Oak and sisters, they cried with me, prayed with me, and comforted me.

Eventually, I found one I liked, a “work” wig since my usual blonde hair with purple and pink highlights wouldn’t work for professional settings. But my sister and my Oak chipped in to pay for it, and the store owner gifted me the one I really wanted: a gorgeous purple wig that made me feel alive again. We all cried—again.

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Learning to Love Wigs

I still struggle with the change, but I’ve learned some things along the way. I bought wig grips to help keep them in place and followed tips from Chiquel on how to style them and care for them. They offer a lot of helpful videos on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram that helped me feel more confident in wearing them.

The purple wig has earned me lots of compliments, and my “work” wig was so well-made that no one knew it wasn’t my real hair. During the summer, I wear ponytails a lot because wigs get hot, and let’s face it—hot weather plus menopause equals a cranky woman! My hair is slowly starting to grow back, but I know I have my wigs as a backup when needed. My kids still get scared when they walk into the bathroom and see the wigs on their holders!

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Words of Wisdom

In the end, the love and support of my family have been crucial in helping me get through this difficult time. It may sound vain, but losing your hair can be deeply sad, and it’s okay to feel that way. Men lose their hair and often look distinguished; women lose their hair and are seen as haggard. I don’t like feeling that way, but my feelings are valid, and I’m allowing myself to work through them.

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Your hair doesn’t define you, but you are allowed to feel sadness and not be shamed for those feelings. People who haven’t experienced hair loss may offer well-meaning advice, but the truth is, they don’t understand what it’s really like. Sometimes, you just need to cry, grieve, and not feel guilty for being sad about something you can’t control.

Know that you are still beautiful, with or without hair, eyebrows, or eyelashes. Allow others to love you even when you don’t feel like it. My family has been my village, and I hope that everyone reading this has at least one person in their village to provide love and support through tough times.

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