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Michaela May Recounts Losing Three Siblings to Suicide

Her account links the deaths to scarce mental‑health care in past decades, urging public openness to reduce stigma.

Overview

  • This week May spoke on the Bavarian Social Ministry podcast BayernGemeinsamStark and revisited the story she first told in her memoir Hinter dem Lächeln.
  • She says three of her siblings took their own lives over roughly eight years when she was a child and young adult and that the family rarely spoke about the losses.
  • May describes how psychotherapy and treatment for depression were hard to find at the time and recalls a visiting psychologist’s limited explanations for her brother’s decline.
  • She credits the birth of her eldest daughter and her work as helping the family find hope and a way to live with long‑term grief.
  • Reporters note the account is based on May’s recollections, outlets included suicide‑prevention hotline information, and her public testimony aims to reduce stigma and encourage help‑seeking.