109: "You can support someone, but ultimately, they have to want to get that help themselves." Gold Star Families and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month with Leslie McCaddon
109: "You can support someone, but ultimately, they have to want to get that help themselves." Gold Star Families and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month with Leslie McCaddon
Note: If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide or are concerned for someone who may be in crisis, please contact the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1 at the prompt.
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Leslie McCaddon joins us to share her story as a Gold Star wife, how suicide can be a symptom of an untreated mental illness, how we can strengthen military families as a whole, and much more.
Leslie McCaddon is the widow of Army CPT Michael McCaddon, MD. She is a mental health advocate for military and Gold Star families and writes at Scary Mommy, Her View From Home, and other major publications. She lives in Southern California with a husband, 4 teenagers, and 3 dogs. If she’s not at home, she’s probably at Disneyland.
Resources Mentioned On the Show
- Dispelling Suicide Myths by Cohen Veterans Network https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/CVN-Suicide-Prevention-Infographic-SHORT.png
- America’s Mental Health Suicide Prevention Pulse Survey https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org/amhpulse/
- Suicide Prevention Month: YOU Matter Article by Leslie McCaddon https://homelandmagazine.com/suicide-prevention-month-you-matter/
- Suicide Prevention Awareness Month by Jenny Lynne Stroup https://homelandmagazine.com/suicide-prevention-awareness-month/
- I struggled with thoughts of suicide. Vulnerability and connection kept me alive Article by Matthew Stroup https://taskandpurpose.com/opinion/suicide-vulnerability-connection-navy-oped/
- Leslie McCaddon as TIME contributor: https://nation.time.com/contributor/leslie-mccaddon/
- The Happiest Mom Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/19Z0vEjZkklCMlw45FErsv
- The Happiest Moms Hangout Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thehappiestmomshangout
- Coaching with Leslie: https://www.thehappiestmomcoach.com
- The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at VVSD: https://vvsd.net/cohenclinicsandiego/
- Cohen Veteran Network: https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org/
For the latest updates on our show: https://mailchi.mp/a3b25a1f4964/holdingdownthefort
--
Guest Applications are now open! Apply to be on our show at https://forms.gle/YdoNX9aR8RTEKpnCA
Stay updated! Subscribe to our newsletter http://eepurl.com/gTTOdT
Visit our website https://www.holdingdownthefortpodcast.com/
Connect with our co-hosts Jen Amos jen@holdingdownthefortpodcast.com and Jenny Lynne Stroup https://jennylynnestroup.com/ or jennylynnestroup379@gmail.com
Sponsored by US VetWealth: Get FREE access to the Military Spouse's ToolKit for Agile and Purposeful Employment https://usvetwealth.com/military-spouses-toolkit-for-agile-and-purposeful-employment/
November 2020, Jen Amos and Holding Down the Fort Podcast was awarded “Media Professional of the Year” at The Rosie Network Entrepreneur Awards! We've also been featured in multiple media outlets including Legacy Magazine, U.S. Veterans Magazine, The American MilSpouse, VeteranCrowd Network, It's a Military Life, VirtForce, Military Veteran Dad Podcast, and much more.
Enjoy our show? Kindly leave us a review on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/30SJ7NW, Podchaser https://bit.ly/3dnCacY, or write a LinkedIn Recommendation for Jen https://bit.ly/3jNobzB