When Drew Bergman was in seventh grade, his parents separated. After learning this news, Bergman, 23, experienced severe depression and began to self-harm.
“I went to a private school,” Bergman explained. “So I had a suit-and-tie uniform so it wasn’t as challenging as it may have been for others [to hide self-harm]. But there was this interesting contrast between the presence that I was giving off — wearing the suit, coat and tie — of strength and power against the fact that I self-harmed.”
Bergman ultimately attempted suicide on New Year’s Eve during his sophomore year of high school.
“I don’t go into the details of how I attempted it,” Bergman said. “It’s one of those things that I want people to understand — that I got more of the feeling of not wanting to live rather than the means in which I tried not to live.”
Now, Bergman engages thousands of K-12 students about his experiences as the associate development director for Minding Your Mind, an organization dedicated to providing mental-health education to young people, parents and school officials. He will graduate from Temple University in 2017 with a degree in business marketing.
Bergman, who identifies as gay but said his sexuality did not play a significant role in his depression, will be honored at the Jan. 7 Save A Life Gala, organized by the Philadelphia chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. He will receive the inaugural Young Friend of AFSP Award for his efforts in mental-health advocacy.
“[Bergman] is helping save lives,” said Garden Logan, a spokesperson for AFSP. “He’s touching people and he’s affecting people. He’s been such a champion for our cause that we were so happy to be able to honor him with this award.”
Bergman said he met with his guidance counselor daily during his recovery.
“At a certain juncture where I was starting to feel better, he asked me what my ultimate goal will be and I told him that my ultimate goal would be to speak about it,” Bergman said.
From there, Bergman’s counselor organized a speech for him to deliver in front of his peers during a school assembly.
“It was liberating,” Bergman said. “I always say that real recovery for me began when I finally opened up about what I have gone through.”
Not long after these events, Bergman went to a community event where he participated in small breakout sessions. He met a Minding Your Mind employee who asked him if he would be interested in getting involved in advocacy. Bergman began the training process to become a speaker for the organization. He plans to spread his message to other individuals contemplating suicide.
“Just take one step back and think about tomorrow,” Bergman said. “Things might not get better right this instant. They might not get better an hour from now, or a day from now or a week from now, but things will always get better.”
In addition to Bergman, Kevin Hines, author of the memoir “Cracked Not Broken: Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt,” will be honored with the Lifesaver of the Year Award at the Save a Life Gala.
The Save a Life Gala will be held at 6 p.m. for VIP attendees and at 7 p.m. for general admission Jan. 7 at Atrium at Curtis Center, 601 Walnut St. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/afsp-save-a-life-gala-2017-tickets.