What would you miss?

Filming has wrapped for a 60-second PSA, which is onschedule for release at the end of November. To request a copy, to schedule an interview, or for more details, contact AnnMarie Giannino-Otis via email at wwym19@gmail.com.

"What WouldYou Miss?"WWYM is catapulting forward with a PSA, a new website, a sweeping social media presence, and coming soon, a TV talk show and podcast.   Fayetteville,New York:  With Last month’s launch of What Would You Miss? AnnMarie Giannino-Otis has inspired a new kind of conversation about depression and suicide, and the response thus far has been nothing less than astonishing.  “The central idea is to start a conversation that inspires hope and reminds us about things in life we may be taking for granted,”says AnnMarie. “Knowing that others find you worthy opens the door to hope. And It’s already saving lives.”   Both a simple question and, perhaps, the seeds of a movement, What Would You Miss? creates a dialogue between people who struggle with mental illness, and those whose lives they touch.  Respondents have offered answer like “I would miss the way my dog wakes me up in the morning by gently tapping my face with his paw,” “I would miss Christmas time,” and “I would miss seeing how compassionate and caring my kids are.” Whole Depression and suicide are no longer as shrouded in secrecy and shame as they were even a few years ago, the topic can feel like a minefield, especially to someone who is not formally trained to handle it. When someone you love is suffering, the prospect of approaching that person and saying the “wrong” thing can be terrifying. And, if you’re immersed in the struggle yourself, the mere act of reaching out may seem like an imposition that will only drive loved ones away.  Simply asking or answering the question, “What would you miss?”connects people on both sides of the dilemma, giving them a softer way to have a difficult conversation.  After Wrapping up filming this week, AnnMarie and her team will soon release the60-second PSA that shares just a few of the sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always deeply poignant responses she’s gotten from a range of people—mothers who have lost a child to suicide, teens and adults with chronic depression,suicide survivors, mental health professionals, and crisis counselors. “It’s Clear that the little things matter, a lot,” says AnnMarie, who is a suicide survivor herself. “In just over a month, the Facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/whatwouldyoumiss/]and Instagram account [https://www.instagram.com/what_would_you_miss/]” have attracted visitors and responses from around the country. It’s been amazing and a little overwhelming.”  With a growing number of organizations buying into the concept, including NAMI(National Alliance on Mental Illness) Syracuse, the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and local school systems, What Would You Miss? is quickly gaining momentum in the community, as more people ask, answer, share their responses, and begin an important dialogue that can open the door to greater understanding and empathy, and give hope to someone who may feel worthless.  

To Encourage widespread participation and communication among people from all walks of life, the What Would You Miss? Facebook page and an Instagram Account provide platforms for anyone to submit an answer or read through the very personal responses that others have posted.  As part of the initiative, AnnMarie urges those in crisis, or those who just need someone to listen, to text the word “TALK” to 741741, the Crisis Text Line, where trained crisis care professional will respond immediately. The Evolution of a big idea about small moments AnnMarie,the founder of Stupid Dumb Breast Cancer who has also built a reputation for relentless advocacy in the mental health space, has struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts since she was a teenager. Known for being outspoken and irrepressible,with strong opinions and an edgy sense of humor, AnnMarie comes from atight-knit family with deep roots in Central New York. “When I tell people thatI have depression, that I have tried to kill myself more than once, they are shocked,” she says.  “They point to my family and friends, to all the good things in my life, and say, ‘Look at everything you have! Look at all the people who care about you!’ What they don’t realize is that I feel unworthy of those good parts my life. Especially when I’m in that dark place, I truly believe that the world would be better off without me.” Through lots of therapy, the right medication, and no small amount of faith in the assurances of those around her, AnnMarie has over time learned to believe tentatively in her own worthiness, but she worries that others in the grips of this mental illness will not get the message in time.  One day recently,after someone suggested that she consider how much she would be missed,AnnMarie turned the lens on herself and started thinking about what she would miss, or miss out on, if she were gone.  “I made it very specific,” sherecalls.  “I would miss singing at the top of my lungs as I drove in the car. I would miss telling my friends cheesy jokes at our monthly Bunco Game.”  Then she took the idea a step further. “I asked myself what the people in my life might miss about me in my absence. And when I brought it down to the particulars—my oldest son wouldn’t be able to call home and tell mom about his latest cross-country wins; my family’s traditional Sunday dinner would be permanently cancelled—my perception changed completely. It hit me at avery deep level that my impact on the lives of the people around me is both positive and very real. I want to give others that same sense of worth, and with it, hope.” AnnMarie immediately started reaching out to others about her revelation. She asked people who had lost children, siblings, or friends to suicide what they missed about their loved one. She asked people still struggling to hold on and others with loved ones who were struggling, “What would you miss?” if they were gone.The feedback was overwhelming. “People jump at the opportunity to speak what’s in their hearts, and to be heard by the person who desperately needs some hope to cling to. These insights open the door to a bigger discussion, the kind of dialog that could help change a mindset and save a life.” Inspired by the response, AnnMarie has established What Would You Miss? so that people impacted by depression and suicide can speak their truths around a mental health epidemic and a leading cause of unnecessary death in the United States.