Suicide Prevention: Speak Now by Jenika Nero

                Suicide is the third leading cause of death for teens, and the biggest killer of young women in the world. Though clearly many teenagers struggle daily with thoughts of killing themselves, families and friends are still left confused and frustrated when one commits suicide. Usually, teens who take their own lives refuse to open up about what they’re going through every day, leaving behind numerous questions when they die. If only they’ve discussed their problems with the people they trust, suicide could have been prevented.

                A girl who attempted to kill herself recovered through talking to a friend and a psychologist. “When I focused on my health, not my illness, and the things that made me happy, the things that were troubling me became less important.” Hayley Purdon, a 27 year old from Australia, admitted to having bulimia and anxiety in high school. Even after graduating and becoming a university student, her eating disorder got worse. Her anxiety made it harder for her to leave the house; she would often drive to campus and refuse to get out of her car. At age 20, she attempted suicide and was brought to the hospital. It took her three years to start recovering through the support of a friend who’d gone through a similar experience, and speaking to a psychologist who helped her better understand her anxiety. Now, Hayley helps other teenage girls in schools who also struggle with depression and suicide. She believes that it is vital for people—not just girls, but boys as well—to talk to one another about their experiences and problems.

                Schools have started to create suicide prevention programs which reach out to students who are bullied and have depression. Universities like MIT, Boston University, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute have already signed on to the Jed and Clinton Health Matters Campus Program, which is a suicide prevention program created by the Jed Foundation and the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation. Their idea is to combine mental health and substance abuse services with efforts to make sure that the emotional health of the students is one of the main focuses in the campus. But then again, their hardwork will be put to waste if students refuse to reach out. The rates of suicide on campus suggest that open communication among students should be the next priority of the school. Students should learn to get over their fear towards their bullies and not to think about feeling awkward when talking to school officials in order to overcome their suicidal thoughts and the things that trigger them.

                People who have mental health issues such as depression often don’t see a psychologist in fear of being seen as the weird one or the freak. In addition, bullies take this as an opportunity to make fun of others even more. Ryan Halligan, a thirteen year old from New York, killed himself on the 7^th of October 2003 because of bullying. It all started when he was in 5^th grade. A certain kid and his friends picked on Ryan’s academic weaknesses and poor physical coordination. During his 7^th grade, his dad has had enough of the bullies and had told Ryan that he was going to talk to the school principal to stop those boys. But, Ryan told him not to do so, saying how that will only make the bullying worse. Even when Ryan was taught how to kick box and to use it on the boys if they ever made a move on him, and even when he became friends with them, the bullying continued. His parents had assumed that everything was settled between him and the bullies; they thought that he was finally living a completely normal life as a teenage boy, but they did not know that Ryan was also cyberbullied. He was called gay by the same group of bullies as was shamed by his girlfriend, who said that he was a loser and that she did not want anything to do with him. They started dating online through IM exchanges over the summer and finally met when Ryan entered the 8^th grade, when he was humiliated in front of her friends. Ryan had depression throughout his short-lived teenage years, and unfortunately committed suicide in the end.

Nobody should be blind to the signs of suicide. Family, friends, and even strangers who experience struggles just need at least somebody who they know will listen to them, will help them, will support them, and will not judge them from what they’re going through. Also, those who plan to take away their life must know that people will be there to reach out to. Through talking to each other, we can lessen and prevent more cases of suicide.