Mediaboss Marketing

Near the end, when Alex Barker Permutt did not have the mental fortitude to get out of bed, he would open his laptop, log on to what was then the fledgling social network site Facebook, and scroll through his news feed.

He would see the successes of his friends from John Burroughs School and Amherst College, where he was hit hard by depression his sophomore year.

Friends smiling broadly in photos. Friends proudly announcing their acceptance into law school. Life moving on.

Three times Alex tried to get through his sophomore year at Amherst, where he had a girlfriend, wrote for the schools political journal and seemed to excel in an academic environment that complemented his love for the classics, science and mathematics.

But the illness kept holding him down. After five years of various forms of treatment, he took his life on Feb. 3, 2007.

He was 24.

Its a permanent wound in your heart, said his mother, Sally Barker.

But one she was not going to let destroy her.

So she set out with a group of Alexs friends to help break down the stigma that comes with suicide, and build a social network that could help connect young people struggling to find their way.

The result is known today as FeelingKindaBlue.com, a Facebook-like social networking site for those struggling with thoughts of suicide or other mental health issues. From Im having a bad day to I dont want to go on, the site allows young adults to share experiences, realize they are not alone, lean on one another.

Continued here:
After a suicide, a mother builds a social network