Dr. Kuhu Roy, Pet Loss Grief Specialist (India's first) writes,
As
a Pet Loss Grief Specialist, I have my two cents to offer on World Suicide
Prevention Day because our compassionate tribe is not even considered mental
health care worthy.
In my five years of providing grief support, there were two separate instances
that froze me. Both had mentioned suicidal ideation in the intake form. It
takes huge courage to confess it, just imagine how badly they must have been
let down by the society. My first recommendation was a referral because my
sphere of expertise, experience and training is only limited to helping the
bereaved navigate through companion animal loss and not suicidal ideation.
What then hurt me was the reality, the common response I received from both,
"Mental health professionals don't understand my grief."
Those two precious souls are still breathing and leading their lives with
purpose.
No amount of training and experience can help unless we have the empathy to
understand the other person, that too, without being judgemental.
Honestly, the amount of support we show for each other on social media, even if
one percent of it translates to action in real life, the world would be a
better place. Let me explain. This was in June 2025 when I was at the
veterinary clinic to pick up Victor, the amputee hero, to bring him home. There
was a lady cradling a tabby cat, but others in the clinic were staring at her
with strange eyes. Why? Because the cat she was cradling was dead. The lady was
in shock. I kept my hand on her shoulder and told her that I felt her pain. She
suddenly cried and held my hand tightly. She sobbed and told me in Hindi that
her Bitto was her life and how would she sleep at night without her. The
grieving lady never knew my name, she never learned about my credentials. They
all were meaningless in that vulnerable moment. We have to be there with those
who are grieving by being human first. What shocked me was the apathy of the
clinic that was full of so called animal people, including the vets and para
vets. We live in an indifferent and selfish world, but we are the perfect
humans when it comes to social media. Let us strive to be better humans first
in the real world.
