Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 13:16     Subject: Congressman Raskin
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The scariest part of this is how loving and caring a family can be and yet it can still happen. We like to pray we are doing all we can for our children and yet there is only so much one can do when depression hits like this. My prayers go out to them.


I know. So many people with depression are unable to get help, but this wasn’t the case here. Sometimes the help and support are not enough. So brave of the family to share and I hope it spurs more research.

Lost my DH to the same this year. So awful. I’m so sad for the Raskin family.


So very sorry for your loss, PP.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 11:28     Subject: Congressman Raskin
Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a teen with depression this is the worst nightmare and i applaud the Raskins for making this public.

It is an awful feeling knocking on your child's door each day not knowing what is on the other side Treatment helps, medicine helps but the obstacles created by insurance companies, law makers who make it just about i[possible to get treatment. If my child had a sprained ankle they cover it, if they need shoulder surgery, covered, physical therapy, partially covered but needs to be fully covered, mental health? Good luck. addiction recovery? Good luck.

The stigma with mental health has to change. People with depression did not make the choice to be depressed. They just can't snap out of it.

What the Raskins are going through happens every day. The words their son wrote are a chilling reality. I hope they find comfort in the outpouring of love and support and use this sadly created platform to carry on their son's battle and help others in a way their son was helping others.

Depression does not discriminate so all those who say he had such the perfect life, he had everything, please do some research, please talk to your family about depression and all of the aspects of mental health.



Another parent of a teen here who gets a pit in my stomach every time I open her door. I concur 1000% with what you wrote.
The obit kept me up crying last night.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 11:04     Subject: Congressman Raskin
I am so very sorry for the Raskin family's loss. The obituary is not only a beautiful testament to Tommy but I think will help a lot of people understand depression and mental illness better. It has helped me for sure.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 09:41     Subject: Congressman Raskin
Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a teen with depression this is the worst nightmare and i applaud the Raskins for making this public.

It is an awful feeling knocking on your child's door each day not knowing what is on the other side Treatment helps, medicine helps but the obstacles created by insurance companies, law makers who make it just about i[possible to get treatment. If my child had a sprained ankle they cover it, if they need shoulder surgery, covered, physical therapy, partially covered but needs to be fully covered, mental health? Good luck. addiction recovery? Good luck.

The stigma with mental health has to change. People with depression did not make the choice to be depressed. They just can't snap out of it.

What the Raskins are going through happens every day. The words their son wrote are a chilling reality. I hope they find comfort in the outpouring of love and support and use this sadly created platform to carry on their son's battle and help others in a way their son was helping others.

Depression does not discriminate so all those who say he had such the perfect life, he had everything, please do some research, please talk to your family about depression and all of the aspects of mental health.



Thank you for your thoughtful post. I'm sorry for our child and your family's struggle and wish you the best in this battle.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 09:36     Subject: Congressman Raskin
People don’t understand that we are barely out of the Stone Age. Psychiatry , heck oncology are in their infancy . Despite what scientists and doctors say these fields are in their infancy and they really can’t do much , in thousands of years they might become manageable but they aren’t now except a few specific cases
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 09:34     Subject: Congressman Raskin
Anonymous wrote:This gutted me. It will stay with me forever. I am grateful to the Raskin family for sharing this.


+1

I’m quietly crying right now. What a beautiful tribute to a beautiful person.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 09:31     Subject: Congressman Raskin
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The scariest part of this is how loving and caring a family can be and yet it can still happen. We like to pray we are doing all we can for our children and yet there is only so much one can do when depression hits like this. My prayers go out to them.


I know. So many people with depression are unable to get help, but this wasn’t the case here. Sometimes the help and support are not enough. So brave of the family to share and I hope it spurs more research.


Agreed. I took away so much from this piece, but one thing that haunts me is how this could happen in such a loving family, with educated, involved parents who had the means and awareness to get their beautiful son the best help. My heart aches not only for their loss, but for so many other individuals and families struggling with the disease of depression.



Yes. Honestly, it made me feel a bit hopeless. If this is the outcome for a kid like this in a family like this, it's hard to feel any optimism re: treatment.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 09:25     Subject: Congressman Raskin
As a parent of a teen with depression this is the worst nightmare and i applaud the Raskins for making this public.

It is an awful feeling knocking on your child's door each day not knowing what is on the other side Treatment helps, medicine helps but the obstacles created by insurance companies, law makers who make it just about i[possible to get treatment. If my child had a sprained ankle they cover it, if they need shoulder surgery, covered, physical therapy, partially covered but needs to be fully covered, mental health? Good luck. addiction recovery? Good luck.

The stigma with mental health has to change. People with depression did not make the choice to be depressed. They just can't snap out of it.

What the Raskins are going through happens every day. The words their son wrote are a chilling reality. I hope they find comfort in the outpouring of love and support and use this sadly created platform to carry on their son's battle and help others in a way their son was helping others.

Depression does not discriminate so all those who say he had such the perfect life, he had everything, please do some research, please talk to your family about depression and all of the aspects of mental health.

Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 09:21     Subject: Congressman Raskin
Sometimes the disease wins despite all. So tragic.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 09:20     Subject: Congressman Raskin
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The scariest part of this is how loving and caring a family can be and yet it can still happen. We like to pray we are doing all we can for our children and yet there is only so much one can do when depression hits like this. My prayers go out to them.


I know. So many people with depression are unable to get help, but this wasn’t the case here. Sometimes the help and support are not enough. So brave of the family to share and I hope it spurs more research.

Lost my DH to the same this year. So awful. I’m so sad for the Raskin family.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 09:13     Subject: Congressman Raskin
Anonymous wrote:Why berate dinesh D’Souza in an obituary ?


Tommy did us all a service by, in college, pointing out what a horrible person (boosted by rightwing billionaires) D’Souza is.

He should have been proud of that. Taking down the billionaire-funded right is an uphill struggle. Seems appropriate to mention here.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 09:10     Subject: Congressman Raskin
Why berate dinesh D’Souza in an obituary ?
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 09:07     Subject: Congressman Raskin
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The scariest part of this is how loving and caring a family can be and yet it can still happen. We like to pray we are doing all we can for our children and yet there is only so much one can do when depression hits like this. My prayers go out to them.


I know. So many people with depression are unable to get help, but this wasn’t the case here. Sometimes the help and support are not enough. So brave of the family to share and I hope it spurs more research.


Agreed. I took away so much from this piece, but one thing that haunts me is how this could happen in such a loving family, with educated, involved parents who had the means and awareness to get their beautiful son the best help. My heart aches not only for their loss, but for so many other individuals and families struggling with the disease of depression.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 09:06     Subject: Re:Congressman Raskin
Anonymous wrote:That was one of the most captivating, moving, and heartbreaking obituaries I have ever read. They are so brave for sharind.


My DC was a classmate of Tommy's at Blair, and the obituary describes him so perfectly. What a terrible, terrible loss. There are no words.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2021 09:03     Subject: Congressman Raskin
Anonymous wrote:The scariest part of this is how loving and caring a family can be and yet it can still happen. We like to pray we are doing all we can for our children and yet there is only so much one can do when depression hits like this. My prayers go out to them.


I know. So many people with depression are unable to get help, but this wasn’t the case here. Sometimes the help and support are not enough. So brave of the family to share and I hope it spurs more research.