DEAR READER,
The book you are holding in your hands is a work of fiction. Sloane and Talley Weber are products of my imagination. But Talley’s experience with mental illness and the shame she felt about it are real-life struggles for too many people. Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States, but it is often undiagnosed, untreated, or ineffectively treated. It is the number one cause of suicide, and suicide is the third leading cause of death for people ages fifteen to twenty-four.
Those statistics are overwhelming. I think we tend to underestimate the prevalence and power of depression because it can be so hard to see; people who are depressed often look exactly like those who aren’t, and that can also make it more difficult for those who are experiencing it to seek help. But just because others can’t tell by looking at you that you’re suffering doesn’t mean you deserve to suffer, and it certainly doesn’t mean you should suffer alone. There is no shame in being sick. There is no shame in asking for help.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is free, confidential, and available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. If you need support, or if you think someone you know does, you can call them at (800) 273-8255, or chat online at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
With love,
Courtney Sheinmel
September 2019