Action Alerts /Cheers to Cleveland.com for suicide and faith support op-ed

Cleveland.com ran an uplifting blog post by a minister who understands the impact of mental health stigma. Rev. Kelly Brill authored, "Talking About Mental Health Issues Makes Us Healthier." She is the senior minister of Avon Lake United Church of Christ. Rev. Brill was asked to deliver funeral remarks for a man who committed suicide. She spoke with the family to get more information about the departed.

"I could tell that there was more that they wanted to say," Rev. Brill wrote. "I asked them, 'Had he been depressed?' And then the floodgates opened."

With the family's consent, Rev. Brill spoke about mental health at the man's funeral. "I described depression as a mental illness, an illness that is sometimes fatal, but an illness for which there is definitely treatment available," Brill said. She also told the mourners about her experience with a relative living with bipolar disorder and why she took a 12-week Family to Family class through NAMI for support.

Rev. Brill writes about encouraging people to talk about mental health, substance abuse and suicide in order to defuse the stigma that surrounds them.
"The more we talk about them, the healthier our communities will become," he said.

This Cleveland.com post humanizes consumers and illustrates the impact clergy can have in the fight against stigma. And it reminds readers that the more we talk about this issue, the less stigmatizing it can become. Rev. Brill is taking her fight against stigma another step by offering a course for her congregation to learn more about mental health and support families with consumers.