Reporter's Son Bravely Shares the Story of His Suicide Attempt
NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Ryan took the belt from around his waist and made a loop. It was the day after Thanksgiving 2007.
Ben Mevorach reports.
He was supposed to be keeping an eye on his younger brother and sister while his parents were visiting the neighbors. His siblings were somewhere in the house but he wasn’t sure exactly where. At the moment, it didn’t matter anyway. In fact, nothing mattered.
Nothing, except killing himself.
At 16, Ryan Jones seems to have it all. He is brilliant, has an insatiable appetite for books, is handsome, courteous, doesn’t smoke, drink or do drugs.
His dad is a 1010 WINS reporter and his mom is a popular school teacher. They live in a picture postcard community in Connecticut. But Ryan is hiding something and it’s about to shred every fiber that makes up the fabric of his family.
“I took the belt I was wearing, tied it to the door handle, slipped it around my neck, and pulled down on the other end. It started to constrict my neck and suffocate me. I kind of felt like my eyes were bulging out. I started feeling like I was gonna go…”
The attempt failed. As he began to pass out, his grip on the belt loosened.
Since then, Ryan has been in and out of a psychiatric hospital three times and Doctors continue to try and find the proper medication to help him cope.
Ryan’s depression has been diagnosed as bipolar disorder. In simple terms, bipolar disorder involves extreme changes in mood and energy.
His highs are too high and his lows are too low. For the family it means never knowing for sure which Ryan is waiting for them when they get home; the Ryan who is upbeat and excited about being Junior Class President or the Ryan who pulls his father aside and hands him the pocket knife that he’s been thinking about using to hurt himself.
He is trapped in a war in his head. Good thoughts versus bad thoughts. Reasons to live versus reasons to die. It is a daily struggle, but what Ryan did next — with his family’s support — is pretty amazing.
Rather than hide his depression, anxiety, and suicide attempt from the outside world, he wrote about it for his high school’s independent paper. Every scary detail, every inner-thought laid out in the public square for all to see.
The story ran as a three part series. The reaction from friends has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, some students have come forward to tell their parents about similar feelings of depression and despair.
But not everyone rallied to Ryan’s side, “When I ran for junior class president there was this one kid going around saying [the class president’s] term lasts two years and he’ll [Ryan] have to organize the class reunions but he’s going to kill himself before that, so don’t vote for him.”
Ryan’s decision to share his experience so publicly made his parents uneasy. But they love their son and stood by his decision.
(Photos: Ryan Jones by Ben Mevorach)
TM & Copyright 2008 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO & EYE Logo TM & Copyright 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Money Markets and More for Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Snow in Washington, D.C., puts some testimony of interest to Wall Street on hold. Staying connected can cost you; many consumers are spending a bundle on electronics. Did e-tailers get a boost from holiday shoppers?
E-Mail Story
Print Story
Since then, Ryan has been in and out of a psychiatric hospital three times and Doctors continue to try and find the proper medication to help him cope. 
