Community,Our People | October 22 2018

FCA Community: Creating Connections to Battle Mental Illness

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a person dies by suicide every seven hours in the state of Michigan and it is the 10th leading cause of death in the state.

“A lot of people think they can beat mental illness on their own, so they suffer in silence or take their own lives,” explains Jazmyne Kincaid, FCA US employee at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit. “I hope to be a helping hand to someone struggling with a mental illness and share with them the resources around us that can help guide them toward health.”

Jazmyne knows what it is like to feel alone while suffering through anxiety and depression. After losing her grandparents, the two people who raised her, she struggled with life’s every day activities and hit rock bottom.

Once she realized she was a victim of a mood disorder, she started taking small steps to learn how to love and care for herself again – from going on long walks to making her bed in the morning.

Now she is running Detroit Reflections, a community based non-profit organization created to inspire, encourage and motivate the people in the city of Detroit to move forward toward mental stability. Jazmyne spends time calling, texting and visiting individuals who feel alone and want someone to connect with. She shares available resources with them. Gives them contact information for services. She prays for them. She wants people suffering from mental illness to know that someone cares.

Since starting her organization just about a year ago, she’s helped between 15 and 20 people all while building the community and awareness she wish existed during her struggles.

To learn more about Detroit Reflections, visit the website at https://detroitreflections.org/.

If you or someone you love is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

About FCA Community Stories:

FCA Community explores the efforts of FCA US employees who see a need beyond the walls of their work sites and devote energy outside their daily job to be a source of comfort and a force for change.