Surviving the Legacy of Suicide
I’m currently reading a memoir by Linda Gray Sexton titled ‘Half in Love: Surviving the Legacy of Suicide’. Sexton shares her story of living with a mother that dealt with depression whom committed suicide and how when she became an adult she fought the same darkness that depression brings upon a person. Depression is a very scary and frightening illness. I have personally suffered from it and have witnessed friends and family members fight to pull out of a depressed state.
I remember shortly after Gabby was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy, I had just gone through the divorce with her father and I felt like life was spinning out of control. Depression hit me like a ton of bricks that I didn’t see coming. I know some people suffer from depression caused by a chemical imbalance and at first I thought that was my problem. Later I came to the realization that mine was caused by a series of events in my life and learning how I won’t always have control of what happens. That was a hard pill to swallow for me. I took anti-depressants for a few years and then was able to function well without them.
I remember when I was battling depression, nothing mattered. It affected my relationships negatively. I didn’t have many people in my life at that time that could even understand and to be honest, I didn’t understand how I felt. I love how Sexton shares her story that even though she experienced her mother going through something so dark as depression that lead to suicide she still even had her own battle to overcome. I think by sharing her memoir it was an amazing thing instead of caving to the illness and letting herself be taken away from her children in the same way she lost her own mother. Even those who have dealt with someone in their life that has gone through mental illness, it doesn’t mean they aren’t able to experience it first hand.
If you are someone who has dealt with depression or even if you don’t fully understand it and maybe know someone who battles depression themselves, I highly recommend reading Sexton’s memoir to hear a true story and get a glimpse into her life. It can help you see depression through another set of eyes and you might be able to better understand how it affects more than just the person that’s depressed.
Thank you to award-winning author Linda Gray Sexton for sponsoring this series, which is inspired by her memoir Half in Love: Surviving the Legacy of Suicide. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective which endorses Blog With Integrity. To learn more about Linda Gray Sexton and her writing, please visit her website.

Having battled with depression off and on through my life, and more recently anxiety, I can understand the darkness that can surround a person. I have never had thoughts of suicide, but I have wanted to not live, if that makes sense.
My mother passed away 6 years ago, and I now realize that she was probably clinically depressed for most of my life and never treated. I have worked hard to address and yet live with my mental issues, as well as help my 3 daughters and 1 son understand that it can be hereditary (they are young adults, ages 18-29). That doesn’t mean they are destined to be depressed, but can be more likely and need to watch their thought patterns, etc.
Great review, may need to get this book!
Bernice
Wow sounds like a great memoir. Depression sucks, and sometimes people don’t realize just how bad it can be in some people. Suicide attempts and more. I hated watching my sister attempt suicide over the years, although I didn’t “watch” her I was the one who had to take her to the hospital after she attempted that. I would love to read this for sure!
I waffle between wanting to read this memoir and being just plain afraid to. My own mother committed suicide and I’ve suffered my own bouts of depression, particularly post-partum. I wonder if reliving it- even through someone else’s experience- will trigger something in me. That being said, I marvel at how brave the author is, to relive the experience so deeply as to write an account of it. I hope very much that it’s successful– that people will read it and understand, and know what warning signs to look for in their loved ones.