S. L. Young

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In March 2014, the darkness surrounded me like a metrological tsunami. The pain was so bad that I just wanted it to end. I didn’t want to die, but I desperately wanted the pain to go away. Yet, on that almost fateful day, the exhaustion in my mind took over and seemingly (on its own) planned my demise without me being an active or willing participant. Within moments of opening my eyes, I was unable to focus, in a fog, and navigating quickly toward a sudden exit from my life.

Dr. Antoinette Candia-Bailey’s death-by-suicide and the alleged workplace abuses that led to her untimely passing are jarring. Yet, the reported causes for the reasons she chose to end her life aren’t isolated or surprising because others encounter workplace abuses, too. Based on statistics from the 2021 Workplace Bullying Institute’s U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey, 30% of workers are bullied.