LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) – According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, millions of Americans are affected by mental illness each year.
This includes people like Erica Lawson from Laurel County.
“I have MDD. I have PTSD. I have anxiety. When I hit rock bottom, it was rock bottom and I just wanted to quit,” Lawson said.
After several months of planning, Lawson decided to end her life in April of this year.
She said she was so grateful that her attempt was unsuccessful.
Lawson was subsequently admitted to a psychiatric facility in Louisville.
“When I left, I learned a lot of coping mechanisms, things I didn’t even know about, like art therapy and music therapy,” she said.
After the treatment, she wanted to give meaning to her pain.
“That’s why I’m going to school to be a music therapist. I just want to help people who have been through the same things I’ve been through,” she said. “I just want to keep doing what I’m doing and show other people that they can do it no matter what.”
By sharing her story, Lawson also hopes people will light up London with teal and purple lights to raise awareness about suicide.
“September 10 is Suicide Awareness Day. When you hear about suicide, people just dismiss it. So I want people to know that putting London in the spotlight would be the greatest thing, not just for me but for others too,” she said.
Lawson said she would also host a balloon release in memory of the suicide victims.
She accepts donations for lamps, T-shirts and the suicide hotline.
To learn more about how you can help, reach Lawson at [email protected].
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