NEW PHILADELPHIA – A local chiropractor is working to open a facility where people can receive a variety of comprehensive services if they experience depression or suicidal thoughts.
The nonprofit facility will be called “Hangout with Hope,” and a search for a new location is underway.
Debbie McFarland has been a chiropractor since 1986 and has operated her own practice in Tuscarawas County since 1990. Additionally, she is a licensed acupuncturist, an ordained minister, a wife, mother, grandmother, and author of nine books. After some difficult times in her life she committed suicide. I ran away from home as a teenager. My parents were abusive alcoholics. The final straw was when my mother, in an alcoholic rage, pulled the trigger of a gun within 6 inches of my chest. Thankfully, I had the wits to unload and hide the shell,” McFarland said. She was 32 years old and a pregnant single mother of two, she said, after her troubled marriage. She then lost her job.
“Shortly thereafter, I opened Naturally Light Chiropractic from my home with my best friend at the time and soon-to-be husband of 27 years. But eventually, it became clear what I needed to do. “At a church service, the preacher asked if anyone was suffering from depression.” , told me that I had actually been trying to commit suicide. Thanks to much prayer and therapy, the weight of despair and the desire to die was lifted and I began to heal.” McFarland said. Through prayer, research, and hard work, we have developed a unique approach to suicide prevention that fills the gaps in current services. Mental health issues do not occur between 9am and 5am Monday through Friday. This is the afternoon schedule. If Hangout with Hope has enough funds and volunteers, it will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are also looking at a new location for our office/center that will be large enough to accommodate more activities. Approximately 49,500 people took their own lives in the United States last year, the most on record, according to new government data released Thursday, according to Centers for Disease Control and 2022 numbers. For information about Hangout With Her Hope and its current location (905 Her Avenue, Tuscarawas, NW), please call 234-801-4621 or email [email protected]. You can also find us on Facebook. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, signs that someone is experiencing suicidal thoughts include:
Talk about:• wanting to die• feeling great guilt or shame• being a burden to others feeling:• feeling empty, hopeless, trapped, or having no reason to live• extremely Feeling sadder, more anxious, upset, or angry• Emotionally or physically unbearable painChanges in behavior such as:• Making plans to die or thinking about how to die Research • Leaving friends, saying goodbye, giving away important things, or making a will • Taking dangerous risks, such as driving at very high speeds • Showing extreme mood swings • Eating or sleeping too much • If you frequently use drugs or alcohol, you can contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Please contact someone on 988. 988lifeline.org Or text “HELLO” to 741741.
