Suicide Prevention Day

One of the most important parts of preventing suicide is understanding. There are many tag line sayings that are designed to keep people from becoming a statistic of suicide, yet none of them feel very personal. No situations are the same, which also means that prevention should not be handled in exactly the same way for each individual. 

There are over 1,000 suicides across college campuses in the United States each year and about one in every ten college aged students have thought about committing suicide at one point. These statistics need to decrease. 

One saying that I think we have all heard is that suicide is “a long-term solution to a short term problem.” Something to think about here is that for someone who is suicidal the issues that they are struggling with do not seem fleeting. These issues are a constant nag on the individual’s mind. A blurred mental state is difficult to break into as at risk individuals may not be aware of possible people or programs that they can reach out to for help. 

As a high school student, a friend of mine had been suffering from severe anxiety that eventually led to depression and unfortunately ended with a suicide. Suicide should never feel like a normal escape, but with the pressure set upon teens in all areas of their lives, anxiety and depression are becoming more widespread, and these are illnesses that can escalate.

Warning signs can vary within each individual. If suicide is not on your mind it can be hard to recognize that a loved one needs help. I hadn’t noticed signs in my friend. At first it was hard for me to not look back and analyze whether or not I had missed anything. 

My friend was very well known among our high school of just under 3,000 students. She was an artist, an athlete, and a genuine friend to anyone who stopped to talk with her. She kept her troubles deeply hidden and because she was so bubbly and involved no one thought to ask her about how she was doing. 

I hadn’t thought about the aftermath of a suicide until I was faced with a new and harsh reality that my friend had taken her own life. Posts from our peers were flooding her Facebook wall as they explained their remorse and disbelief. I was angry that all of these comments were being made by our peers when many of them acted as if they didn’t know my friend’s name. Now it was too late for her to see just how much of an impact the light of her smile and her beaming personality had made on other people. It is the horrible truth that many times the impact one has had on another doesn’t come out until after the fact.

If you or a loved one needs help the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number is 1-800-273-8255. For help on campus, head to the American University’s Wellness Center.