Corey Robin is a backwoods pilot and YouTube content creator. His YouTube channel has been viewed by a lot of people with beautiful and dramatic footage of light airplanes landing and taking off from off-airport locations and flying low over dramatic vistas. His sense of humor and humility has made him a favorite of a lot of pilot friends of mine. In the past decade, the YouTube channels of back country aviators and builders like Corey and Mike Patey, Trent Palmer, Kevin Quinn, Juan Brown, and others have sparked a renewed interest in general aviation.

Having grown up in a flying family and becoming a pilot myself in my teens, I have maintained an interest in aviation and find myself watching YouTube videos about flying, especially those about flying light aircraft. Age and financial priorities will continue to prevent me from being an active pilot, but I have respect for those who pursue aviation carefully and safely.

Last night, however, I watched a very different video in which Corey Robin starred. It was an interview, conducted at the Experimental Aviation Association’s annual convention, held in July. In the interview, Corey talks frankly about the loss of his sister to suicide last year. Having spent more than 20 years as a suicide first responder, I listened very carefully to what Corey had to say.

The sudden and unexpected loss of a loved one is one of the more traumatic events a person can endure. Our Local Outreach to Survivors of Suicide (LOSS) Team was dispatched by the 911 call center whenever a suicide occurred in our county. We responded 24/7 to provide support and resources to those who had just received the devastating news of the death of a loved one by suicide. Working in that setting provided me a lot of opportunities to observe grief and to understand that suicide grief is a unique type of grief. It also afforded me substantial opportunities to talk about mental illness, suicide prevention, and the resources in our community for care for those who are suffering. Unfortunately, as is the case across this country, the resources are thin and often difficult to find. Hospital emergency rooms have great skill in dealing with injury and physical illness, but often lack the basic tools for dealing with depression and mental illness.

In the interview, Corey spoke of his own depression following the loss of his sister. One of the things about being a survivor of suicide is that having lost a loved one to suicide increases the risk of an individual dying by suicide themself. It is critical that survivors be aware of their own increased risk of suicide, of their need for support, and of how to access help when needed.

I don’t know if it is fair to blame social media, but there are many ways in which our society has given permission to mean and cruel behavior. The amount of teasing, bullying, and aggressive criticism on the Internet is astounding. Expression of gratitude, support and care are less evident. At the same time, our society has become more polarized. Disagreement is expressed by personal attack. The truth is discarded in favor of trying to make the other look bad. It seems as if there are no limits to the harshness of attacks on others.

Corey spoke directly of the danger of suicide among pilots. Because pilots carry certificates that must be renewed each year with medical examinations and check rides, they may be less likely to discuss the symptoms of mental illness. A diagnosis can result in a person not being allowed to operate an airplane - something that gives joy to pilots. The fear of losing one’s certificate results in many pilots hiding their symptoms and failing to seek help with mental illness challenges. Depression, when left untreated, can be as fatal as cancer or heart disease.

I am grateful for the interview and for Corey’s frankness and honesty in discussing mental illness with fellow pilots. I hope a lot of pilots watch the interview and use it as an opportunity to seek out trusted people with whom they can discuss it.

When we are with our grandchildren, we often talk about a buddy system. We ask the children to have an adult whose hand they can hold when crossing busy streets or navigating busy parking lots. We speak to them about watching out for each other and keeping track of where others are. We tell them of how important it is that we know where they are and what is going on in their lives. It is an expression of our love.

That same care is needed by all of the people in our lives, regardless of their ages. Everyone needs a buddy, who will keep track of them and ask them from time to time, “Are you OK?” Then without probing, and without judgment, we need to be willing to listen to those people and receive their feelings, whatever they are. We don’t need to have all of the answers. We do need to remind others that they are not alone. Everyone can help to prevent suicide. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255 is a place of free and confidential support. It can be used by persons who are thinking about suicide and also by those who are worried about a friend or loved one.

If someone you know is struggling emotionally or having a hard time, you can be the difference in getting them the help they need. However, supporting another person though a difficult time can stir up difficult emotions in the care giver. It is essential that those who provide care take care of themselves and be unafraid to reach out for support.

I have written about suicide in my journal before and I will write about it again. Preventing the trauma and tragedy of suicide is a mission in which we all can share. I am grateful to Corey Robin for speaking out and using social media to communicate important and positive information. Together we can make a difference.