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Last Updated on August 21, 2025
Suicide Prevention at the Heart of Activist’s Memorial Efforts
Mental Health Activists in Action, Part 1: Karyl Chastain Beal
Karyl Chastain Beal would never have chosen this path of activism she has been on for the past fifteen years. The path was chosen for her. To be on it, she had to know the pain of losing a daughter to suicide—a pain she never anticipated.
Said Karyl,
“My daughter Arlyn died by suicide on August 7, 1996. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder by a psychiatrist only after she died; based on her [journal] writings, we learned of her mental health struggles and of an apparent drug problem we knew nothing of.”
The heartbreak of losing a child is unimaginable and not something any parent could ever be prepared for. Like any mother in her situation, Karyl’s life was profoundly and forevermore altered. The pain can be all-consuming, and Karyl knew she had to find a way to derive meaning from her life after Arlyn’s death and give others who have lost loved ones to suicide something to hold on to, as well.
Quilting: From Hobby to Tribute
To fight the overwhelming grief her daughter’s suicide left her with, Karyl sought to convert her tragedy into an activism opportunity for suicide prevention. She decided to turn a craft she loved into a key to open a locked door to a dark room and shine a desperately needed light.
Karyl spearheaded an effort to honor those lost to suicide in Tennessee, her home state, by incorporating images of their faces into the squares, or blocks, of a memorial quilt. What started as a local endeavor grew quickly into a memorial recognized statewide. And now nationwide, and beyond.
What do these quilts mean to families?
“First, people who are grieving the death of someone they love who died by suicide may be comforted to know that their loved ones will be remembered on a memorial quilt,” Karyl said. “Second, the quilts help educate the public about the fact that suicide happens to real people, people who were loved and valued. . . they’re not just statistics.”
The Next Step for Karyl’s Activism
After the outpouring of love and appreciation Karyl received for the memorial quilts, she knew she had more to do. The next steps on her activism path led her to start the websites Faces of Suicide and Suicide Memorial Wall. Faces of Suicide displays about 4,000 photos of those who died by suicide, including their names, dates of birth and death, home town, and a loving message. The virtual Suicide Memorial Wall is a similar endeavor, without photos, honoring the names of about 19,000 people at this time.
Additionally, Karyl and her husband Ronnie started the International Suicide Memorial Wall at their home in Tennessee. This is a physical wall and was moved to Nashville in 2019 to be cared for by the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network.
“As of today, the Wall has more than 800 memorial tiles from all over the world,” Karyl said. “People from all over the US have visited it, as well as people from Canada, England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and Scotland.”
Sadly, the number of names added to the Wall continues to grow, a heartbreaking reminder that suicide is a tragic end to lives that once had great potential. Suicide prevention is crucial.
Access resources at Faces of Suicide and Suicide Memorial Wall.
The Joy of Putting Activism into Action
According to Karyl, people can reach out to another in a wide variety of ways: words written or words spoken, music, art, crafts, carpentry, gardening, sports, and on and on.
“Being a mental health advocate doesn’t have to be a gargantuan pursuit,” she says. “If you reach out and someone takes your hand, you’ve given that person the gift of knowing he or she isn’t alone. Being a mental health activist can be simple—touch one person at a time.”
She feels she can always do more to educate and enlighten people about the challenges faced by those who, through no fault of their own, do not always have control over their thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
Karyl is an example of the power of activism.
“If another opportunity to help promote awareness and the need for better mental health arises, if it’s something I believe I’m qualified to do and can do it, I’ll be honored to take on the mantle.”
Worthwhile Work for Mental Health Activism and Suicide Prevention
The activism work Karyl started, a small quilt to honor her daughter and a few others whose mental illness drove them to a dark despair from which they saw no way out, has become a national and international effort to bring mental illness, substance abuse, and suicide into the public eye and generate conversation. Karyl knows this is her calling, her method for healing.
The world we see will become safer and more peaceful only if we change the world within ourselves. Our physical health will always be as limited as our mental health allows. If there’s anything you can do to help other people appreciate the value of better mental health, it’s time to take that step. ~~Karyl Chastain Beal
Your Turn
You can be an impactful activist for change for those with the lived experience of mental illness and their loved ones. Be a part of the movement with Make a Difference With Mental Health Activism: No activism degree required—use your unique skills to change the world, by Terri L Lyon and Trish Lockard.
Which of your gifts, talents, and experiences can you use to make change happen for those struggling with mental health disorders? Share your story. Listen to others. Apply your gifts. Tap into your anger. Fight stigma. Demand parity.
The time for change is now.
Read Trish Lockard’s Series on Mental Illness
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Trish’s Blog at Strike The Write Tone
This week reports are flooding in that teen suicide is the most its ever been especially in young girls. One netball coach – basketball said he has lost 3 girls to suicide this year and another 8 have been treated for self harm. This year – more have suicided than other years and we are only in August. Lockdowns do not work, lockdowns cause family to be under so much pressure loss of jobs being home with the abuser 24/7. I could go on. #SenorSalon
I’m sorry to hear what has been going on in your community, Bree. Thanks for reading the post and please share it with others that might be helped by the resources mentioned.
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