September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. While suicide prevention is an important issue to address throughout the year, this month offers a unique opportunity for mental health organizations and people from around the world to collectively raise awareness and help spread the word about how to prevent suicide.
In an effort to help reinforce the importance of suicide prevention, Oregon-based child psychiatrist Diane Kaufman has recently released a new suicide prevention song, “Don’t Give Up.” The song aims at providing support to anyone who might consider suicide as they struggle with mental health challenges.
Dr. Kaufman experienced trauma at an early age and suffered from anxiety and depression. As an adult she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. While studying at the Downstate Medical Center, Dr. Kaufman even attempted suicide for which she needed to be hospitalized. Since then, in times of adversity, imagination and artistic expression have been her main sources of relief and comfort. Her passion for transforming trauma into resilience led to her writing “Bird That Wants to Fly” in 2014, a children’s book that inspired an opera and for which she partnered with Trilogy: An Opera Company and Academy Award nominee Danny Glover as narrator. Dr. Kaufman also authored “15 Poems to Healing and Recovery,” the picture book “Missing Mommy” prompted by her encounter with a young child whose mother was murdered and “Three Objects Spoke To Me” on being lost and found on life’s journey.
And in 2019, she founded Arts Medicine for Hope and Healing, focused on helping patients experience emotional well-being though creative self-expression and evidenced based mental health principles.
“Don’t Give Up” is the most recent accomplishment by Dr. Kaufman, who is currently also founder and director of the Arts & Healing Resiliency Center at Mind Matters P.C. in Oregon. The lyrics of the song are based on a poem she wrote with the intention to encourage mental illness sufferers to never give up, to know they are not alone and that help is available. The song was a collaborative effort with singer/songwriter Mia Stegner and producer Raymiah Jackson.
Dr. Kaufman welcomes opportunities for “Don’t Give Up” to reach as many people as possible and is available for interviews, speaking engagements and other partnerships.
For more information, please visit:
https://www.artsmedicineforhopeandhealing.com/
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