'I Don't Want To Die': WEEI's Kirk Minihane Discusses Battle With Mental Illness

BOSTON (CBS) – Kirk Minihane, a sports talk show host for WEEI in Boston, returned to the airwaves on Friday and discussed his recent hospitalization after he says he struggled with suicidal thoughts.

Minihane was scheduled to be on the air on August 3. But the day before he drove himself to the Winchester Hospital Emergency Room after the radio host said he thought about killing himself. After staying at the hospital overnight, Minihane was moved to McLean Hospital in Belmont, where he stayed for four days.

On Friday, Minihane returned to the airwaves and discussed his struggles. Minihane's parents both died last year, something he said accelerated his already existent mental health issues.

"I've had a hard time and have not handled it well," he said.

Minihane said he researched how to commit suicide, and on the day of his hospitalization was at the train station in Winchester when he realized he needed help.

"I stood in front of my car and I said 'I don't want to do this. I don't want to die,'" Minihane recalled. "I know I don't want to die, but I also know this thing in my head that keeps talking about this and saying 'examine this, look at this, look at this, and the word suicide, suicide, suicide.' And the fact of how I felt internally, I felt for the past couple weeks that I was having a heart attack almost all the time. I was having a hard time breathing."

Following his treatment, Minihane, a father of two, said he feels that he is on the right track.

"I feel a little better now. I feel cathartic being able to tell my wife, my family and friends that I was going through this. It was a burden that I didn't handle well," Minihane said.

Minihane is a co-host of the Kirk and Callahan show on WEEI along with Gerry Callahan.

The National Suicide Prevention Line provides free and confidential support for people in distress. Call them at 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website to chat.

Local Suicide Support:
Samaritans 24-hour Help Line: 877-870-HOPE (4673)
Local (Talk with someone anonymously.)
Samaritans Boston (24-hour Help Line): 617-247-0220
Samaritans Framingham (24-hour Help Line): 508-875-4500
Samaritans of Merrimack Valley: 866-912-4673