Attempted suicide survivor turned mental health advocate shares message of hope

Are you ok? Is something wrong? Can I help you?

These are questions that Kevin Hines emphasized as he shared his story of struggling with mental illness, attempting suicide and handling psychiatric care. Had someone asked him these same questions as he cried on the bus to the Golden Gate Bridge, he may never have jumped, he said at an event Monday night.

Now 34 years old, Hines is a mental health advocate, documentary filmmaker and bestselling author. Hines shared his story at Penn in an event hosted by the Philadelphia chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Reflecting on Sept. 25, 2000, the fateful day he survived his attempted suicide, he shared his story of recovery and renewed outlook on love and living.

“This is about reaching an audience with individuals that are hurting,” Hines said in an interview. “Either hurting from someone they lost, or they’re lost. And they’re in desperate need of hearing the message that they have a voice and it needs to be heard. No matter the emotional, physical, mental pain they’re going through, there can be a future without suicide.”

Hines began the event by calling for a moment of silence for those contemplating suicide or for those who have seen loved ones die from or attempt suicide. The event came just a week after the death of Wharton junior Ao "Olivia" Hong by suicide, which sparked renewed conversations of mental health on campus.

Hines said his belief that no one cared about him was a big contributor to his feelings of depression.

“I thought everybody in my life hated me. I thought they wanted me dead. None of that was true,” Hines said. “I kept it all inside, I denied my own true state of being, I was ashamed. I was embarrassed, and I thought that if I told anyone in my family what was going on, that they would just lock me up in a psych unit, never to be let out.”

Sharing his experiences in psychiatric care after being rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard, Hines said that what was most disturbing was the “forgotten”: those who receive no visitors while in psychiatric care. He emphasized that many suicidal people are internally begging for help but cannot seek it.

“I desperately wanted to live, but I believed I had to die,” Hines said. “Had I had education in high school about mental illness, had I had education about how to fight it and had my family had known tools to suicide prevention, all of this outcome would have been different.”

When asked by an audience member for advice for those who have recently lost someone to suicide, Hines stressed the importance of not feeling guilty for not “being there.”

“I can’t save a life: I can share a message, and hope to inspire someone to save their own life,” Hines said. “To ask for help from a myriad of people surrounding them, and to recognize that they are not alone.”

Hines continues to travel across the country to share his story.

“I am so grateful to exist ... I am so grateful to be anywhere,” Hines said. “[I believe in the] power of the spoken word ... everyone has a story and some people’s stories can help others.”

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.