#suicide | Inside the Mind of Isadora

June 17, 2022
by Inside the Mind of Isadora 32 Comments

Friday Fictioneers – At the Hospital

The ‘Get Well’ cards and balloons filled the dining room. Marta was well-liked by all.

But, her diagnosis was grim. It was a rare form of cancer. It had spread throughout her body. If it hadn’t been for COVID, she wouldn’t have known until she died.

We haven’t seen any family visitors. Has anyone called her family?

There is no family.

Nonsense, everyone has a family.

She does not. How long does she have to live?

Perhaps, a month.

Good Odds.

How so?

A neighbor found her during a well-check visit. She arrived here as an attempted suicide.

2022©Isadora DeLaVega

Genre: Flash Fiction

Word Count: 100

photo prompt©Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

To join Rochelle and her Friday Fictioneers Photo challenge

click here

*********

What is Depression?
Depression is a real illness that impacts the brain. Anyone suffering from depression will tell you, it’s not imaginary or “all in your head.” Depression is more than just feeling down. It is a serious illness caused by changes in brain chemistry. Research tells us that other factors contribute to the onset of depression, including genetics, changes in hormone levels, certain medical conditions, stress, grief or difficult life circumstances. Any of these factors alone or in combination can precipitate changes in brain chemistry that lead to depression’s many symptoms.©info from the Univsersity of Michigan Mental Health

*********

For more information about depression:

World Mental Health – Dignity Mental Health Foundation
University of Michigan Depression Center – Mental Health

January 29, 2022
by Inside the Mind of Isadora 38 Comments

Friday Fictioneers – Deadly Date

Selena was excited they were finally going on a date.

Vlad texted, meet me at The Glass Dome Diner.

Her overly strict mom would be livid if she knew. She’d sneak out the back door.

I hope Vlad is as amiable as his poems.

~~~~~~~~~

“Feel like a walk before we eat something,” he said.

“Okay.”

His arm cradled my shoulder as we walked.

“Let me get my cellphone in the car.”

“Okay.”

Shock and fear engulfed me when he slid the side door open.

Inside, crying girls with taped mouths and hands were all she could see.

Terror overwhelmed her.

2022©Isadora DeLaVega

~~~~~~~~~

Genre:Flash Fiction

Word Count: 100

To join Rochelle and her Friday Fictioneers

in this challenge: click here

*****January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month

***** Human Trafficking – is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labor, sexual slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, child labor and marriages, debt forced marriages, wife forced prostitution or bride buying. Human trafficking can occur within a country or trans-nationally. Human trafficking is a crime against the person because of the violation of the victim’s rights of movement through coercion and because of their commercial exploitation. ©wikipedia

***** Trafficking Leaves Both Visible and Invisible Scars

Trafficked women and girls encounter high rates of physical and sexual violence, including homicide and torture, psychological abuse, horrific work and living conditions, and extreme deprivation while in transit.
Serious mental health problems result from trafficking, including anxiety, depression, self-injurious behavior, suicidal ideation and suicide, drug and alcohol addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dissociative disorders and complex PTSD.
Physical symptoms among trafficking victims include neurological issues, gastrointestinal disturbances, respiratory distress, chronic pain, sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV), uro-genital problems, dental problems, fractures and traumatic brain injuries.©apa.org https://www.apa.org/advocacy/interpersonal-violence/trafficking-women-girls/