Friday, November 13th is the unofficial To Write Love on Her Arms day.
What is To Write Love on Her Arms?
It's a Depression and Suicide Awareness Movement
MISSION STATEMENT:
To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.
The best part about this day it it wasn't even started by the foundation. It was kicked off by the awesome supporters and it spread worldwide.
Tomorrow to show your support for TWLOHA you literally write Love on your arm.
<-- Mine
I even wrote it on my kidlet's arms
Some Facts:
-121 million people worldwide suffer from depression. (The World Health Organization)
-18 million of these cases are happening in the United States. (The National Institute of Mental Health)
-Between 20% and 50% of children and teens struggling with depression have a family history of this struggle and the offspring of depressed parents are more than three times as likely to suffer from depression. (U.S. Surgeon General's Survey, 1999)
-Depression often co-occurs with anxiety disorders and substance abuse, with 30 percent of teens with depression also developing a substance abuse problem. (NIMH)
-2/3 of those suffering from depression never seek treatment.
Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers. (NIMH)
This is a cause very near and dear to my heart. I've suffered from depression for many years and have attempted suicide twice. I still struggle and sometimes the thing that gets me through is just someone telling me they love me.
Even if you can't decorate your arm tomorrow, reach out to a friend you think may be suffering. Most people hide their depression for fear of the stigma that comes with it. Something as simple as offering an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on can make a difference.
You can check out more info about TWLOHA here : http://www.twloha.com/index.php
thank you to ranger pixievamp for approving this post. :)
RANGER EDT: HI! PIXIEVAMP HERE! WE WANT TO SEE THE LOVE ON YOUR ARMS!! SHARE YOUR PICS WITH US ON THIS SPECIAL DAY!