Two months after the passing of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, his teenage son is working to raise awareness about mental illness and suicide.
In honour of National Suicide Prevention Week, which runs from Sept. 10-16, Draven Sebastian Bennington has released two videos that he filmed after his father’s death.
READ MORE: Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington dead at 41
In the first video, the 15-year-old is sitting in a garden as Linkin Park’s Numb plays in the background.
“Hi I’m Draven Bennington, and I’m here on National Suicide Prevention Week,” he says.
“I want to make a commitment that I will talk to someone before I hurt myself when I’m feeling depressed, sad or going through a hard week, month or year,” Draven says. “I want to challenge you to do the same: to help yourself, not hurt yourself.”
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In the second video, Draven opens up about the experience of losing his father at such a young age and how he’s coping with the loss. His mother and Chester Bennington’s first wife, Samantha Bennington, is also in the video.
Together, they tell the camera, “We want to be here to be of service and help.”
In the second video, Draven tells family therapist Angelica Guahardo, “It still doesn’t feel like it actually happened. You always think that maybe he’s on vacation and someone just found someone else. Maybe he’ll pop back up… It’s hard because sometimes you just sit down, you start thinking about — like, I came across old home videos that he had, things like that. It sucks.”
READ MORE: Chester Bennington’s widow shares son’s music
Chester Bennington died by hanging on July 20 at the age of 41. He was married with six children from two different marriages.
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Depression Hurts and Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 all offer ways of getting help if you, or someone you know, may be suffering from mental health issues.
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