My thanks and appreciation to Garry Jones for having the courage to speak out and share his story. Indeed, he represents two populations that need to speak out more on mental illlness - blacks and men. Kudos to Terrie Williams for lifting up the subject with The Stay Strong Foundation and The Stories that Heal Campaign. After you read this, perhaps check out other postings on Familiar Minds written by caring women about the men they love: Him, Finding Dad’s True Personality and From Another World, I Understood.
Lieutenant Jones reflects on his lifelong battle with depression which has included suicidal ideations. Thankfully Lieutenant Jones is doing well on a journey to brightness, having opened up and sought help. Familiar Minds has compiled a listing of resources, including suicide prevention, to support people living with mental illness and their families.
Lieutenant Jones’ Journey to Brightness
It’s not easy coming out of the closet exposing yourself; you get ridiculed, people shy away from you and you’re called crazy when you expose yourself. I’m a retired Lieutenant from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and founder of Advocate4justice. I retired because of major depression, post traumatic stress disorder and severe anxiety disorder.
My depression started when I was a 6 year old boy. By the time I reached the 11th grade I went to a doctor who told me I was suffering from depression and he wanted me to see a shrink – I refused! I was afraid of what people would say. Continue Reading →
