To the Editor:

It took a few hours to figure out why they would take our shoelaces and belts. Another day to comprehend why trash cans held paper bags, not plastic, why towel hooks behind bathroom doors swiveled to prevent their staying upright, why towel racks and shower curtain hooks were absent, why they confiscated bags with straps and disallowed hand sanitizers and Q-tips, why they observed us as we shaved, and why they inspected our rooms every 15 minutes, during the first 24 hours, sometimes longer.

Yet it took no time at all to see how a community of patients struggling with anxiety, depression, addiction or more could develop a bonding affinity and love for one another at the Princeton House In-Patient facility. Regardless of who we were, our professions, socio-economic background, gender, religious or sexual identity, or our propensity for self-harm, we were each like anyone else, and we are each like you as well. If you disagree, look into yourself deeply, we are none of us much different from one another. Two weeks ago I was terrified to walk into a ‘psychiatric hospital’ — yet it was no ‘cuckoo’s nest’ — rather a safe sharing space — and walking out with increased awareness and self-recognition is an affirmation of the importance of caring for our most crucial asset — our minds.

I lost two friends to suicide last year, both in Princeton, and last month mourned the loss of Owen Bardzilowski — one of two students lost to suicide within five years at Princeton High School. Whether or not you know someone with a mental illness, and regardless of your perception of your own mental health, I’m certain there’s a good reason why you should partake in a conversation on mental health and suicide prevention. Over 40 of your neighbors attended a community forum on suicide prevention this past Sunday in Princeton. Please get involved by sharing your own story creatively on November 12 at the IYCC Poetry Slam (www.iyiprinceton.com) and by supporting SPEAK OUT, Princeton Teens at their first community meeting on December 3 (www.speakoutprincetonteens.com). There is #NOSTIGMA in walking through vulnerability — isn’t THAT how we get to the door of courage?

Adnan Shamsi

Nassau Street