I just finished my next article. It is about suicide and my journey through the pain.
Well, here it is...
Suicide is now the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds. Suicide takes 30,000 Americans annually and many more people attempt suicide. 50% of all suicides are done by firearm.
Why? Why the increase in suicide deaths, especially in the age group many at GSC fall into.
The numbers are puzzling because many feel as if there young adult life were the prime moments of their life.
However, at a young age many plans may go astray, leaving many in a depressed state.
Dr. Joy Evans, a counselor at GSC said, “Hormones are high during those years and they are very passionate about life and their hopes and dreams. Sometimes they do not turn out the way you want and it causes moments of despair and in those moments their can be suicidal thoughts.”
Dr. Evans also said, “In younger years there is not a sense of history, therefore students do not feel they can work through the depression and there is a sense of hopelessness.”
I was faced with some of the challenges mentioned by Dr. Evans when I was just 16 years old.
The depression all started because m doctor told me I needed to lose around 20 pounds to be at an ideal weight. I took the statement to the extreme and lost 35 pounds in three months.
All I wanted was to feel accepted by my friends and family. I felt worthless because my goals of acceptance were failing.
Everyday I asked myself why I was a failure, why I could not be perfect, and why my life seemed worse than before.
Depression was sinking in more and more, everything felt so hopeless, like my life would never be perfect. I was too much of a failure to reach any goals I had.
The illness was taking over my life day by day. It consumed my every move, my every breath. I was falling, fast.
I was slowly moving into isolation, ignoring my other friends, ignoring my family and all their questions. I felt I did not deserve anyone around me, I did not deserve my friends and my loving family.
I caved about 6 months into my depression and attempted suicide. However, the plan failed and I told no one what I did.
A week later I tried again, and thought it was working. I had taken a dose of 20 different types of medications. I threw up all night and became fatigued and dizzy.
I thought it was the end so I wrote a letter to my mother, father, brother and my best friend. I knew this would be my last night.
Luckily I awoke the next morning feeling very ill. I pulled myself out of bed and made my way to school, still feeling as if I might die.
Eventually I told my mother what I did during the day and she took me to the hospital, where they transferred me to Summit Ridge, a facility for people with all sorts of problems, including mine.
My organs began to fail and my stomach was eating its insides. I was put on a special diet and they stabilized my organs. They were functioning again and I was alive. Now all that was left was to finally face my problems.
During my stay at Summit Ridge, my father cried, hard, for the first time around me. It was very hard to see that and I knew then I needed to stop terrorizing my family.
After a week I was let out of the hospital and now I love the life I live. What I did was not worth what the consequences could have been and I am very lucky to still be alive.
Suicide is not the answer to any of the problems you may face and many people are around to help you through them, including the counselors at GSC.
If you need any help with your problems, contact them and set up an appointment. It is a very easy process that takes only minutes.
The counseling office is located in the student center near the student life office and every counselor is there to help you through anything.
