September is National Suicide Awareness Month. Every year almost 800,000 people die from suicide, and it is the third leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds. Its important for our society to know signs of suicide and how to prevent it.
The rates of suicide have grown tremendously in the past few years. Now, deaths by suicide are at their highest in more than 80 years, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2022, the provisional number of deaths by suicide was just under 50,000, or 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people, a 3% increase from 2021, according to www.bu.edu . The rapid growth is a problem that needs to be addressed and stopped.
Brandyn Raber, one of our counselors, helps our students on a daily basis.
Raber stated, “As a team, we work together with other teachers, staff and families to create a safe environment for students to feel that they are able to share when they are struggling. We also use researched based assessments and research-based interventions to ensure that we are using the most up to date knowledge to address these very real challenges people face daily. If a student, or anyone, is facing obstacles, I want to speak to them with empathy and respect.”
Common signs of suicide are change and behavior like withdrawing from friends, saying goodbye, giving away important items, or making a will. Other signs include taking dangerous risks such as driving extremely fast, displaying extreme mood swings and eating or sleeping more or less. If these signs are noticed, ask them to contact emergency services immediately, either a suicide hotline including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (800-273-8255) or Teen Line at 800-TLC-TEEN (800-852-8336) or 911. People can also reach out to their doctor if they’re not in immediate danger but getting worse.
A student at Carolina Forest, Hannah Bender, has personally dealt with some mental health issues.
“Unfortunately, suicide and suicidal thoughts are very common now. I feel that suicide awareness is important so everyone can realize that what they are saying to other people has meaning. You can never fully understand how one person thinks, what they’re going through, and what other people have already said to them. For me, and lots of other people, the words from the people closest to us can matter the most. When I was in one of my darkest times it was due to actions and words from my two best friends and family members. The things people can say to you have an affect on how you see yourself, and pulls you down a darker and darker path. It is important to bring awareness to this because your best friend, sister, brother, or even classmate can act like the happiest person in the room, when in reality they are facing one of the toughest times in their life,” Bender shared.
On another note, Project Semicolon is a compassionate online community that centers around mental health awareness and suicide prevention.The Semicolon Tattoo Movement has a deeper meaning behind it than just continuing on a sentence. It’s a symbol of a choice to keep going even with the pain of mental illness, trauma or suicidal thoughts. A semicolon represents something that someone could have ended but chose not to. It represents a choice you could have made to end your story, but instead, chose to continue on.
Suicide is very serious and if you ever feel helpless, just remember there is always someone that cares about you! You are not alone.
