A CARING UP-CLOSE LOOK AT SUICIDETHE HELP THAT COULD HAVE SAVED MY SONTHE GUIDANCE WE NEEDED FOR GRIEF AND TO RELEASE GUILT

Linda Pacha is refreshingly transparent, holding nothing back in this moving and uplifting help book. With the detailed table of contents, you will refer back to her recommendations and warm advice time and time again. Read warning signs in her son's last text messages that are labeled for you. Learn what Nick could not feel or understand: the options and hope that were still there. And if suicide has already happened, she will help you move forward in your grief, release any guilt or anger, and find the hope in life again.


Pacha is an attorney. Her undergraduate degree and postgraduate studies are in psychology and clinical psychology, respectively. Linda public speaks about suicide prevention and the grief process through the nonprofit she founded, Nick's Network of Hope (nicksnetworkofhope.org). She's known for her unfaltering honesty, which is appreciated by many. Pacha is a parent who has been through the worst and shares everything to help others in pain.

• SUICIDE PREVENTION/SELF-HELP: Reasons to stay; you are not alone; how to make a safety plan; yell for help and then allow it; you are not a burden; people care more than you think; how to reach out when hope is lost; risk factors and warning signs with real-life examples; bullying is a reflection of them, not you; and what Nick would want you to know
• HOW TO HELP OTHERS WHO ARE STRUGGLING: Okay to ask if suicidal; listen and ask open-ended questions; don't be a cheerleader if more is needed; believe the behavior more than the words; and the importance of seeking professional help
• GRIEF AND LOSS: Why push on; release guilt and anger; emotions of the first year; the second year and beyond; grieving individually and together; new family dynamics; getting back into society; answering difficult questions; parenting surviving kids; keeping your marriage intact; what to avoid; siblings of suicide; and physical effects
• HOW TO HELP THOSE WHO LOST SOMEONE TO SUICIDE: Don't avoid; listen but don't try to fix; remember and talk about loved ones; and allow to work through birthdays and anniversaries
• STIGMA: Complexities of mental health; why stigma exists; misconceptions of selfishness, cowardice, and lack of faith; how stigma of mental health morphs and attaches to survivors; and ways to reduce stigma
• REDUCING PRESSURE: What is the pressure and ways to reduce it; recommendations for parents and schools; and how to make lunchtime and gym more inclusive
• TIPS FOR BETTER TOMORROW: Ways for a kinder world; how to reduce bullying; how to teach kids to live with more compassion; and how you can make a difference

All Net Proceeds from Book Sales Go Toward Suicide Prevention