Break the Silence: Stories of Struggle and Strength in Suicide Prevention Month

Every September, Suicide Prevention Month reminds us of a staggering truth: over 720,000 people die by suicide each year. It’s not just a statistic—it’s a global crisis that touches families, friendships, and communities in every corner of the world.

With up to 88% of entrepreneurs struggling with mental health issues, entrepreneurs are two times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than non-founders. Contributing factors to mental health challenges among founders include financial pressures, isolation, and an entrepreneurial tendency toward perfectionism. In short, the same things that drive entrepreneurs to succeed and chase high-level achievements can be devastating to mental health.

“What entrepreneurs do is hard, and it is not for the faint of heart. We dare and reach and risk and see what others cannot. We venture into the unknown as if it were our own backyard,” said Lionel Felix, an EO Austin member. “It’s important that we get together as a community because of everything we go through.”

The aim of Suicide Prevention Month is to encourage environments where people feel able to speak up and seek help with empathy and support rather than suffering in silence. EO is one such positive environment.

With the goal of helping others know they are not alone, EO members touched by suicide shared their very personal and real stories of loss.

EO Gave Me A Safe Place to Show Up as Myself

“For most of my life, I carried the silent weight of major depressive disorder. I struggled in school, lost job after job, and felt like I was constantly failing,” shares Ron Perry (EO Atlanta). His wife left him during an Army deployment, with twins on the way. “I came home broken, carrying shame, and pretending to be strong while inside I was crumbling. I had isolated my core self so deeply that I completely lost sight of who I was and what brought me joy.”

"Healing doesn’t happen in isolation — it happens in connection: Through conversations, through community, and through courage to name what so many are afraid to say out loud." -- Jessica Merrell, EO Atlanta

“My turning point came through an Ibogaine journey that completely reset me. I realized I wasn’t defined by my mistakes or failures, but by acts of kindness and love. I found a new mission: To help others ‘build castles’ of their own by healing, breaking cycles of pain, and living with purpose.”

“Today, I share my story openly because I know how dangerous silence can be. I want anyone struggling to know that asking for help is not weakness. It is the bravest and strongest thing you can do. It takes more strength to say ‘I’m not OK’ than to keep pretending you are.”

Through EO Forum and his chapter, Ron found a group of peers who weren’t afraid to be vulnerable and reminded him he wasn’t alone.

“EO gave me a safe place to show up as myself. To say publicly that I am not OK and ask for support in helping me get better,” Ron said. “EO has given me platforms to share my story, which not only helps me heal but hopefully helps others feel seen, too.”

The Painful Truth Gives Me Peace

Tina Hamilton (EO Philadelphia) shared her heartbreaking experience. At age 15, she moved out on her own, was pregnant at 16, and became a mother at 17.

“As a single parent, I was young and unprepared when I was introduced to the harsh realities of mental illness through my son’s diagnosis: Depression, psychosis — words I had never known — became daily battles. Together, through countless treatment centers and sleepless nights, we learned to survive the storm,” she said. “I held onto hope that one day the suffering would end.”

“At 35, my son, Anthony — a husband and father— chose to end his life with a shotgun. That moment shattered time. The news tore through me like fire, leaving behind a silence that screamed. I loved him fiercely. We grew up together. How could he leave his children? How could he leave me?”

In time, Tina came to understand something heartbreaking yet illuminating: Those who are truly suicidal often believe their absence is a gift to the world.

“Over the past eight years, I’ve wrestled with grief, anger, and sorrow. Slowly, I’ve come to accept his decision. Anthony’s pain was relentless. His demons were louder than love, stronger than hope. Peace was a place he could never reach.”

On her healing journey, Tina spent a month in a wellness sanctuary in Thailand where a former monk taught her that, "Our suffering is our own to resolve."

“That helped with my intense guilt and has served me well both personally and in business. While we can spend a lot of time trying to help or fix people, it is truly up to our own selves to find the way,” she said.

“I joined EO the same year Anthony passed because I knew I needed to find a place where I belonged. And I have.”

Show Up Again and Again, With Empathy and Patience

“My cousin — who was like a brother to me — struggled with mental health challenges for many years,” shared Rishi Khanna (EO Dallas). “As a family, we offered our time, presence, and unconditional love. We walked alongside him through treatment, encouraged him to stay connected with doctors, take his meds, and tried to be available whenever he needed us.”

“Despite those efforts, we lost him — a loss we carry with us every day.”

“What I’ve learned through this painful journey is that supporting someone with mental health challenges is not about having all the answers. It’s about showing up, again and again, with empathy and patience,” Rishi said.

Rishi shared that you don’t need to have all the answers to support someone struggling with mental health. 

“Small, consistent acts of support can make a big difference. Show up, listen without judgment, ask the hard but compassionate questions, help create a safety plan, and most importantly, remind them they are not alone and they are loved more than they know or feel at the moment.”

"You don’t need to have all the answers to support someone struggling with mental health. Small, consistent acts of support can make a big difference." -- Rishi Khanna, EO Dallas

And just as vital: Caregivers and loved ones must remember to take care of themselves, too.

“The EO community stands by one another through successes and struggles alike. Talking openly about mental health, without stigma or judgment, is one of the most powerful ways we can honor those we’ve lost and support those still fighting,” Rishi said. 

“I share my cousin’s story to encourage all of us to listen more deeply, show up more consistently, and remind those in our lives: “You are not alone.”

Healing Happens Through Connection

“I lost my dad to suicide in 2012, and it forever changed me,” said Jessica Merrell, EO Atlanta. “In the quiet that followed, I realized how much stigma still silences us when it comes to mental health. My healing process became a journey of turning grief into something that could bring hope, not just for me and my family, but for others who may be struggling in silence.”

Jessica discovered that healing doesn’t happen in isolation — it happens in connection: Through conversations, through community, and through courage to name what so many are afraid to say out loud.

Jessica and her family created the Merrell Family Foundation to shine a light on brain health, to spark open dialogue, and to equip people with tools and hope.

“For me, this work is both deeply personal and universal. My family's story is about resilience, but more than that, it’s about building a future where no one feels alone in their struggle, and where reaching out for help is seen as strength.”

“My EO Forum walked beside me through this journey. EO has been a lifeline of accountability, community, and strength, exactly the kind of support that mirrors what my family hopes to creates through its Foundation,” Jessica said.

“I’ve learned that the most powerful antidote to stigma is community.”

You are Not Alone

Lionel Felix added some additional thoughts for anyone who may find yourself in a dark place: “Help can come from many places. You're not alone,” he said. “EO is a community built on and by people who understand how bad it can get when you’re running a company. Know in advance where you can go and who to talk to when it gets bad.”

Resources:

• If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis in the U.S., call or text 988 immediately.
• You can also chat with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.
• Internationally, visit the International Associate for Suicide Prevention to find suicidal crisis support resources by country.

Written by Anne-Wallis Droter, EO Staff Writer