"All I wanted was for one person to see my pain and say something kind...I could not reach out. I needed someone to reach in."
This is a quote from Kevin Hines. At 19, he tried to commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. His story, fortunately, has a hopeful ending. He did not die that day, and he took his experience and became a speaker, writer and filmmaker. This clip from the recent CBS Sunday Morning show highlights what we all need to understand about depression. Connection and feeling that you have not been forgotten is critical to help us get through these deeply dark and painful times. A simple gesture like writing to a friend you know is struggling, or sending a thoughtful text can sometimes make the difference between that person giving up or keeping on. Sometimes reaching out can be challenging as we struggle with our lows, our fears of feeling invisible, the hopelessness. But even if one person takes a chance on us and "reaches in" as Kevin put it, it's sometimes just enough to make a big difference.