Mother copes with son’s suicide by spreading awareness

The death of a child is a tragedy that most parents wish never to face, however, the death of a child by suicide is an immeasurably devastating occurrence. Local mother Kantha Enoch lost her son a year ago to suicide and is using the pain of her loss to educate parents who may not be equipped to see the signs of a misfortune such as this on the horizon.

To spread awareness about mental health, Kantha recently hosted a mental health awareness campaign that focused on depression and anxiety.

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Guest speakers at the event included Glynis Horning, author of the book Waterboy and a mother who also lost her son to suicide, and Gina Sim, a clinical psychologist who spoke about the neurological basis of depression, mental health stigma and support services for families who have lost someone to suicide, and Ramesh Ramkumar, author of Being Human and founder of Being Human Detox Centres.

Kantha said she hosted the event to help members of the community. “It is a year since I lost my son to suicide. I have many regrets. It’s a case of I wish I knew then what I know now. He suffered from depression, which led to drugs. I had an epiphany that instead of hosting a conventional one-year memorial service, I should give back to the community, with the hope that lives could be saved. I didn’t want the life that he lived to go in vain. People with mental illnesses need the support and understanding of their caregivers.”

She said people with depression and substance abuse issues are widely misunderstood. “There is a misconception that if you are mentally ill then you are crazy. Many who suffer from depression and anxiety or bipolar disorder are often very intelligent individuals. The general public needs to be aware of the signs and should equip themselves with the knowledge on how to recognise the symptoms and how to be of assistance.”

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Kantha said her event was a major success with an exceptional turnout. “People have requested that we host another campaign event and live-stream the next one due to how well it was received. I couldn’t be happier with that.”

Kantha said that the campaign has brought her great solace. “This campaign has helped me to take my pain and put it into something that is allowing me to heal.”

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