MENTAL HEALTH YOUTH CRISIS
Written by Andi ESQ
Suicide is not an easy topic to discuss when mental illness is not seen as a real disease, so many people struggling with mental health rarely open up because of the stigma attached to mental health "suicide prevention."
Its even harder to open up about suicide in churches because some people think the topic is too heavy for children and when you’re older all you get is Bible verses and how “You’re one of God’s strongest soldiers."
While you may think, "I'm praying for you," feels like the right thing to say for people struggling, it isn't a solution.
Thing is, we can’t afford to ignore the topic just because it’s hard to talk about, contrary to popular belief, talking about suicide does not make things worse honest, open communication can do just the opposite.
It’s difficult to imagine what led a loved one, that seemed to have it all, to commit suicide. There are no clear warning signs and while there’re many factors that lead to this tragic event the one thing that remains certain is severe depression from unspoken traumatic events.
Sometimes people attempt suicide not so much because they really want to die but because they simply don't know how to get help, suicide attempts are not a cry for attention but a cry for help. It becomes a way to demonstrate to the world just how much they are hurting.
While it might have appeared that someone had everything to live for, it probably didn't feel that way to them. You may never know why a person committed suicide. So until mental illness is seen as physical illness of the brain the world will continue to lose beautiful people and talents.
With this said, I hope we as humans become intentional in recognizing suicide behavior and actively work on listening to people with no judgment when they open up about their suicidal thoughts, I hope as we raise our kind children we not only teach them how to heal physically but emotionally as well and I pray to God we are kind enough to apologize to our children when we’re wrong because the one emotional abusive trait parents have is holding power over accountability.
If you suffer from depression and anxiety, don’t let your mind deceive you. You’re beautifully and wonderfully made, you’re loved and your smile makes the world a better place x
