To the Editor:

A colleague called me last night, jolted, after seeing the media coverage about Kate Spade’s suicide. She babysat years ago for people who lived in the building where Kate Spade lived, and she used to pass Kate and her husband in the lobby on occasion. “She always seemed so happy and vibrant,” she said to me. She probably was.

This latest tragic suicide, leaving another adolescent without a mother, and scores of people reeling, is a reminder that no one is immune to tragedy and that the results can have long-lasting and far-reaching consequences.

At a time of year when many of us are posting festive pictures of weddings, graduations, sports events, etc. showcasing happy moments in our lives and those of the lives of our children and families, it’s important to remember that those moments should be enjoyed and cherished. But it’s also important to recognize that there are moments (many of them) in our lives that are less happy and not Facebook or Instagram-worthy.

We all have moments when we feel discouraged, embarrassed, lonely, and overwhelmed. We don’t share these moments with people on social media, but I wonder what it would look like if we did talk about them more openly. I wonder what it would take for that to happen.

I don’t know that we’ll ever know much about Kate Spade’s tragic circumstances, but my hope is that her death will encourage others to seek help. For someone who has been in and out of therapy my entire life, it seems like a no-brainer to seek counseling whenever you’re feeling particularly stuck or overwhelmed. I believe in therapy and I love therapy. Making sure there is a support system in place and that there is someone to whom you can turn when you need help works. After all, Freud did call therapy the “talking cure.”

Whitney B. Ross, PhD

Executive Director, Trinity Counseling Service