After news broke Monday that the father of a Sandy Hook school shooting victim died of an apparent suicide, A-J Media reached out to a local expert to see what types of resources are available in the area for anyone suffering from survivor’s guilt or mental illness after dealing with a major trauma.
Jeremy Richman, 49, led a charge on mental health issues with his wife in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting through the Avielle Foundation, named after his 6-year-old daughter Avielle Richman who died in the shooting. That mass shooting left 20 school children and six adult staff members dead Dec. 14, 2012 at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
Richman’s body was discovered inside Edmond Town Hall in Newtown Monday, days after the suicides of two survivors of the mass shooting last February that left 17 dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Not everyone dealing with a mental illness knows the resources available to them, and it could start with trusted sources as simple as the national 1-800 numbers for assistance with suicidal thoughts, said Dr. Andy Young, associate professor of psychology and counseling at Lubbock Christian University.
Resources can include work and employee assistance programs, or reaching out to pastors/preachers/clergy members and support groups, as well as StarCare, Young added.
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Source: Lubbock Online
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