Man Who Lost His Wife To Suicide Movingly Shares 'Biggest Sign' He Missed

In a heartbreaking revelation, a man who has lost both his wife and father to suicide shared the "biggest sign" he missed that indicated his wife was on the brink. His story sheds light on the often unnoticed warning signs among loved ones, hoping to prevent others from facing similar tragedies.

According to Mental Health America, depression is one of the most common mental illnesses that affects around 21 million American adults annually. It strips away the pleasure of daily life, exacerbates other medical conditions, and in the gravest circumstances, leads to suicide.

Eric Zink, 43, told Newsweek: "I like to share my story so people know they aren't alone and there is a light at the end of the deep dark tunnel."

Racking up 1.5 million views on TikTok (@the.mr.impulsive), Zink speaks about the final week of Brandy's life. For the first time in a long time, she was suddenly happy and had a "positive outlook on life" even though nothing had changed. He states she didn't go to therapy, stop drinking, or change her medication.

"Everything was good and I bought into that," he said and explained that he believed she was miraculously able to shake off depression overnight. Sadly, this couldn't be any further from the truth, and upon reflection at trauma therapy, Zink, who lives in Boise, Idaho, realized she was "truly suicidal" and had given up.

He said that his wife was "motivated" and became the human he had missed. "It is the scariest thing when you look back and you realize that was literally the point that somebody gave up." He continued to say that the happiness stems from knowing it will soon be over and the pain will end.

"It's not that they cure depression at all, they have given into it," he said.

On August 27, 2015, Brandy passed away aged 34. Zink told Newsweek: "She struggled with childhood trauma of sexual assault and abuse most of her life. She was an alcoholic and struggled with addiction. We had tried therapy a few times, but she would fall right back into old habits."

The 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 57 percent of those over the age of 18 with a drug use disorder also had a mental illness, defined as a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder other than a developmental or substance use disorder. Twenty-two percent of adults with a drug use disorder had a serious mental illness.

Clinical depression, also known as major depressive disorder, is a significant mood disorder that leads to severe symptoms affecting a person's daily activities, thoughts, and emotions. The American Addiction Centers website states that depression manifests differently in each individual. It can cause alterations in mood or behavior, and in some cases, may result in increased use of drugs or alcohol. While not everyone with depression misuses substances, the occurrence of both substance use and mental health disorders together is relatively common.

Newsweek discussed the heartbreaking video with Dr Sona Kaur, a clinical psychologist, who owns Serenity Psychology in London, U.K. Kaur has experience working with various mental health issues including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

She said: "It is not uncommon for individuals to appear happy or upbeat shortly before taking their own life. This phenomenon can occur for several reasons. Firstly, the individual may feel a sense of relief after deciding to end their life, believing it will end their suffering, which can make them appear temporarily at peace.

"Secondly, individuals contemplating suicide often become adept at hiding their true feelings, acting happy to prevent others from suspecting their plans or to avoid drawing attention. Lastly, they may want to leave positive final impressions on their loved ones or subtly say goodbye without raising alarm."

Although the clip was shared in April this year, Zink told Newsweek it wasn't a recent realization.

He said: "It started to hit me when I went through Trauma Therapy in 2021. Her suicide had a lot of similarities to my dad's. He took his life in August 2017."

Now, a content creator, mentor and public speaker, Zink uses his platform to advocate for mental health. So far, the video has over 48,000 likes and many comments from people sharing their own experiences.

One user said: "This is so true when I [tried] to commit suicide over 20 years ago, that's how I was. I was super happy, super joyous. I was the life of every party. I was super motivated. I went from being depressed to extremely happy and that's what it looked like to the outside world. It's very important that people show 'made the decision'. Not enough people know what to look out for. It's often mistaken as happiness."

"A lot of us that deal with extreme depression put on a happy face where almost everyone would never know what they're dealing with. We try to be happy but there's a strong voice inside that is not. We don't share because we don't want to appear weak or sick...so we smile. I'm glad you are still here sir," said a second commenter.

A third user said: "You never know what people are going through. Be kind out there."