Pineville brewery launches new beer for mental health awareness

PINEVILLE — Middle James Brewing Company in Pineville launched a new beer on Sunday to support Mental Health Awareness.

This brew is a signature Octoberfest Beer named “It’s ok to not be ok.”

Channel 9′s Scott Wickersham spoke to the Rosado family last year after losing their 19-year-old son, Matías, to suicide in 2021.

The efforts at Middle James Brewing Company are a part of the Rosado family’s mission to spread awareness through the Matías Rosado Foundation.

Matías Rosado was a smart and handsome hockey player who was loved by his family. But, as he grew older, his parents Rafael and Rachel Rosado noticed Matias beginning to withdraw.

Matías began therapy for social anxiety at the beginning of his junior year in high school in 2018. A couple weeks into his freshman year at the University of North Carolina in 2020, students were sent home because of the pandemic.

His parents said the isolation didn’t help.

“You know, he was there, two different Matías. So there was the Matías that we knew growing up, up to a certain point, and as he got older, and the depression set in, it was a little bit different,” Rafael said. “Withdrawals, the panic attacks, the social anxiety, it escalated to self-harm with Matías. That was one of the symptoms. Like, before his first attempt, he was cutting himself, and that’s when we really started panicking. And that’s where we started with medication was when we saw the self-cutting, and that was roughly five or six months before his first suicide attempt.”

In November 2020, Matías was diagnosed with clinical depression and began taking medication.

The next year, his parents thought he was getting better. He even started talking about re-enrolling at UNC. His parents begged him to keep fighting.

“Most parents don’t ever have to say, ‘You know, just give us time. Please give us time, just work with us and give us time.’ And he promised he would give us time,” Rachel said.

Matías fought as long as he could. But on July 17, 2021, he died by suicide at the age of 19. He left notes for his friends and his parents.

To hear more of Matías’ story and to learn how to help others in this situation, click here.

The Rosados hope the launch at Middle James Brewing Company will spark conversation about suicide awareness...maybe over a beer.

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Nonprofit expands mental health care to teens as need becomes more critical

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