I wish I would have called you before . . . . ."
Depression and suicide: Make sure you don't utter those words
By Don P. Jones & Michael J. Crowley

Ray was a successful prosecutor in the district attorney's office in a large Texas city. He had done well in law school, was one of the star prosecutors in his office, had a family and, by all outward accounts, could look forward to a long and good life.

However, Ray's inward life told a different story. To Ray, no matter how well he performed, it never seemed to be good enough. All of his life he had wrestled with depression, and this problem had led to alcohol and prescription drug abuse. Although he hid it well, his family life was coming apart at the seams. But Ray was raised to believe that personal problems should stay personal. He didn't believe in talking about his problems. He felt he could handle them himself.

Regrettably, I never met Ray. I only learned of his struggles from a colleague and friend of his who called me the day after Ray had shot and killed himself. Ray had very briefly confided to his friend over drinks the week before that was unhappy with his life. As he recalled the meeting, the colleague felt tremendous guilt and remorse for not having seen Ray's suicide coming.

Unfortunately, at the Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program we get about five or six of these dreaded calls each year--calls that always seem to begin with, "I wish I would have called you before . . . ."

Read the full article on the American Bar Association website