This passage has mention of triggering topics, read with caution 

What is Suicide Prevention?

Suicide prevention is taking action to prevent the act of suicide. This can be talking to someone that doesn’t have many friends, paying attention to friends that may need help, raising awareness during public events, donating to organizations, ect. 

Why is Suicide Prevention Month important?

This month is important because it is showing awareness of mental health problems. It is helping people speak up about serious problems that many people aren’t aware of. A lot of people may call this an invisible disability (A disability that can’t be known just by looking at someone).

There are many ways to help spread this message, posting on social media, making posters, talking to peers, and many more. This can help people, especially kids that think and/or are struggling with these problems know they are not alone. Knowing resources to help and represent what you are feeling can seriously impact their mental health.

How does Depression affect lives?

Depression is a very deadly mental illness to have. It impacts everything about a person, their personality, thinking process, appetite, self worth, energy, and much more. Depression makes everything seem a lot more negative, the simpliest things become chores. Depression can make people loose everything, they can loose friends because they won’t talk to them for months. Depression is a scary thing to have because you never know when your last day will be. Depressive episodes are a part of depression, you get extremely disstressed and everything seems too loud or too much which can lead to suicide.

What are the signs of suicide?

In school we do a unit on SOS (signs of suicide) but from my personal perspective I wanted to share what I see as someone that struggles with mental health. 

• Not eating much, many people when struggling with mental health do not eat
• Observing more, most people don’t like talking when they are depressed
• Sharing a lot more, they want you to know that they love you 
• Texting late at night, a lot of people with depression sleep during the day and text during the night, this could also be because they want to commit at night
• A lot more drowsy and they don’t seem as aware
• Wearing longer clothes

I think that these are the main signs, there are a lot more that people may not be aware of but these are the most noticeable. 

Why?

A lot of people wonder why? – Why do people commit suicdie? Most people think that it is the last resort, that there is nothing more that they can do to get better. The most common saying is “it’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem” I agree with this quote but it’s probably the last thing they want to hear. When people try to attempt they aren’t in the right mind, all they want is an escape.  

I interviewed a student asking about their take on this.

Do you struggle with mental health?

F: I have in the past, but more recently I have been recovering and finding better coping mechanisms

Does school affect your mental health?

F: I think so, yes. But less so school itself, because I do enjoy learning and seeing my friends at school, but I think things like overworking myself in regards to homework and some more challenging social situations have affected my mental health.

How do you cope with your mental health struggles?

F: I think it can be hard to explain how I cope at times because I honestly do a lot of it subconsciously at this point, but the ones that come to mind are like, listening to music, talking to my friends or like drawing or working on creative projects 

 What are things that others have said to you in regards to your mental health that have been upsetting?

F: I think things like “Oh yeah I can relate” and then sort of trauma-dumping on me, or comparing mental health issues like it’s a competition. I also think pointing out things that are reminiscent of my mental health in the past that are clearly no longer affecting me.

What are ways your family has affected your mental health?

F: I think my mental health has been affected by toxic family relationships I think, and sometimes my parents don’t always know how to help me the best.

Please look out for your friends and family, talk to people if you have any struggles.