Talk for Teens, Parents on Teen’s Mental Illnesses, Suicide Attempt, Recovery from One Who Went Through It

Emily Torchiana will speak about her personal experience with mental illnesses, a suicide attempt and her eventual recovery from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 18, in the Darien Library Community Room.

Torchiana educates students around the country sharing these personal experiences Her presentations help individuals, who are currently struggling, know they are not alone.

— an announcement from The Depot, Darien Library and the YWCA of Darien/Norwalk, sponsors of the event.

This program is open to all teens and their parents.

Emily is the founder of the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization LOST GOT FOUND. The organization’s mission is to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

She was the 2017 recipient of the National Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award, with previous recipients such as Oprah Winfrey and Steve Jobs. She was also a TEDx Speaker (you can see a nine-minute video of her TEDx talk below).

From Emily Torchiana’s website:

• She speaks about being a victim to severe cyberbullying in high school, which led to her struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, and Social Anxiety, as well as overcoming a suicide attempt.
• ​Rather than suffer silently, as many do, Emily decided to help others who also struggle with mental illnesses, by sharing her experience and encouraging others to open up. She began speaking locally, while she was attending college in Charleston, South Carolina.
• From there, her personal story, which emphasizes the benefits of openly discussing mental illnesses and suicide, spread across the country. Her speeches bring to light the silent stigma of mental health and build awareness about the serious effects of bullying. She combines this education with a call to action for the prevention of suicide worldwide.
• ​In addition, Emily founded The Invisible Illnesses, a non-profit organization. The organization shares stories of those affected by mental illnesses and assists them in taking the first step toward gaining support… letting others know about the silent struggles they face.

Two follow up discussions will be held at the Depot Youth Center:

• Thursday, Nov. 1, from 7 to 8 p.m. — Lily Genovese, a DHS junior, and Brittany (Roach) Turk, DHS Class of 2007, will be sharing their experiences and insight on the subject of mental health and suicide.
• Thursday, Nov. 8, from 7 to 8 p.m. —Robert DiRoma LMSW, LADC will be presenting “Depression … the Silent Killer”

Please RSVP here for each event.

CORRECTION: The original announcement sent to Darienite.com said the final event (“Depression … the Silent Killer” with Robert DiRoma) was scheduled for Nov. 11. The date was incorrect. It will be on Thursday, Nov. 8, according to the Depot website’s calendar listing.