Suicide Headaches Are Real and Awful - #NSPW2016

Everyone knows the statistics around suicide but it's arguably more important to hear personal stories. The impersonal nature of statistics doesn't allow us to talk openly about suicide because they are just numbers, and you rarely see the faces behind them.

It's important to remove the stigma around suicide so that people can feel comfortable talking about their issues. When you reserve something as taboo, you empower it (it's a lot like Voldemort).

In an effort to destigmatize suicide, today we're talking about the little known phenomenon of suicide headaches. Commonly known as "cluster headaches," this unique condition is so drastic and painful in its effects that it often causes people to have suicidal thoughts. These are not "headaches" as you think of them, these are headaches pumped up with multiple happening concurrently.

Clusters rarely last more than an hour but they're hell for those who experience them. The pain brought on from a cluster headache is described as immeasurably awful and often causes those suffering to stop functioning until the pain subsides. Their short duration means there's no effective legal medication, and modern medicine still has no idea what's behind them.

So what can we do about them? We can talk. The above video from Stephanie Conroy highlights the personal pain that some people go through. She mentions that it's normal to feel depressed sometimes and it's normal to feel hopeless. These are things we can talk about openly. By starting the discussion we can create an understanding that there can sometimes be real physiological reasons why someone may not want to leave the house.

Like all things linked to suicide, cluster headaches are something we should strive to talk about more. With more open dialogue people in need can get the empathy they need.