Feminism and Suicide Twitter Chat: 2/2 at 6:00 pm MST

On February 2^nd (5:00 pm PT, 6:00 pm MT, 7:00 pm CT, and 8:00 pm ET), the Carson J Spencer Foundation is hosting a Twitter chat about how gender has affected the suicide prevention movement and how best to reach the large groups of people left behind. The Carson J Spencer Foundation, known for innovation in suicide prevention, is also known for their commitment of seeing suicide prevention as a social justice issue.

Suicidal behavior and suicidal intensity show up differently across gender. Men die by suicide much more frequently than women, women attempt suicide much more frequently than men, and our data about trans* people is limited. The perspective that men bear the burden of suicide has shaped our research, funding, interventions, and programs. When preventing death is no longer centered in the practice of suicide prevention, we open space for diversity of voices.

To participate, simply follow #ElevateTheConvo for the duration of the chat and be sure to use the same hashtag in your questions and responses.

Panelists:

Stacy Pershall: Stacy Pershall is an accomplished author who lives with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and who struggled with eating disorders for twenty years. Since discovering dialectical behavior therapy and body modification, Stacy has been an outspoken mental health advocate who is committed to showing audiences that people with BPD can recover and body modification can be a healing agent.

Stacy is the author of Loud in the House of Myself (W.W. Norton, 2011) and is currently working on her second book. She also teaches creative writing at Gotham Writers’ Workshop (New York City) and Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (online), and blogs regularly for Psychology Today. Stacy is a belly dancer, cat lady, and fierce knitter and crocheter. @LoudInTheHouse

Greta Gustava Martela: Greta Gustava Martela is the co-founder and Executive Director of Trans Lifeline. Ms. Martela has drawn on her own experience with suicidality to create a resource that is able to respond to the needs of the Trans community. Prior to Trans Lifeline, Ms. Martela worked as a software engineer. @GretaGustava

Jess Stohlmann-Rainey: Jess Stohlmann-Rainey, MA, is the Senior Program Director at the Carson J Spencer Foundation. She has spent her career in violence prevention, currently leading innovative programming that elevates the conversation to make suicide prevention a health and safety priority. Previously, she managed sexual assault and domestic violence advocacy as well as LGBT youth empowerment and school safety programs. Her specialties include designing and scaling sustainable programs, upstream approaches to prevention work, and empowering leaders to create positive change in the places we live, work, and learn. Jess has presented and trained nationally and internationally about suicide and violence prevention, diversity, and leadership, and is a contributing author to Postvention in Action, a currently unreleased suicide postvention anthology. As a suicide attempt survivor, survivor of loss, and person living with a mental health condition, Jess integrates her lived expertise into her work in advocacy, research, training, and program development.