September is a time to dedicate raising awareness about suicide, offering support, and raising signs of  what mental mental illnesses look like.

     Millions are effected by suicidal thoughts or the loss of loved ones to suicide. This month encourages open conversations about mental health, promotes access to more resources , help to people who suffer with these kinds of thoughts and also help others who have lost loved ones to suicide.

   Tracy Churchwell Harwood , the mental health counselor at George County High School, has been a counselor for nine years, also a federal program Liaison, describes mental health as just as important as physical, just like we can see a broken arm we may not be able to see things people are mentally going through.

     A lot of things cause mental health problems, such as chemical imbalances, underlying health issues, traumatic events and depression.

   Mental health can get progressively worse, but one can do things like having close connection with others, being able to confide in others, having a hobby and developing good coping skills, trying to regulate emotions, developing self confidence, being able to talk about issues

  “ Mental health is always as important as physical health,” Harwood  said. A way one can take care of themselves is by realizing that they can not control everything and they can’t change everything, but they can control how they react to situations, one needs to be aware of themselves and know when they  need help,” said Harwood.

   Suicide is when someone takes their own life.  Hardwood states that suicide can be prevented by being able to tell people what and how they feel and never hold in suicidal thoughts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that suicide is the second leading cause of death for age 10-24, more than 20 percent of teens have seriously thought about commiting suicide and anyone is at risk of suicide. 

      Some signs of suicide are changes in eating and sleeping habits, mood swings, withdrawal from others, losing interest in things they enjoy and giving away prized possessions.

     Suicide has become a big Issue in America, The Center of disease control and prevention. 49,000 died by suicide in 2022.. Suicide rate for ages 10-24 had increased  by 52 percent between 2000-2021. In 2020, 9 percent of high school students had reported to have tried to commit suicide, the statistic for that is believed to be much higher. 

   Harwood says “ It is extremely important to know that reporting yourself or someone else for having suicidal thoughts is important to notify someone immediately, call 911 because it could save someones life.”

   Suicide effects the people around you. Suicide is an extremely difficult thing to accept. For one death, at least nine others are affected by that death. One in 10 people cant recover from grief. “Everybody is important, remember that we never know what someone is going through, be kind, be supportive and be friendly. Your smile could have a positive impact on someone else. Compassion does truly change the world. Making fun of others, excluding them, and talking rudely to them is painful, think before you speak because many people are already dealing with trauma and depression that you can not see.  Lift people up by being kind, patient and understanding,”  Harwood  says.

   If you or someone you know has thoughts about suicide, Talk so someone as soon as you can.Talk to a trusted adult. Notify someone you trust. 

   The grief of losing a loved one to suicide is hard to accept for most. For sophomore student M, the shock of it still sticks with them. But as they grow to accept it, they also learn and grow as a person. 

    This student’s name has been changed to protect their identity. 

     M’s loved one died of suicide  when they were still in middle school. M says that the day their friend committed she did not come to school, she told everyone that they were sick, it was part of her plan. The day before they were crying in class M says that they thought it was a silly reason for why she was crying, but looking back on it, M thinks that maybe they should have taken their friends’ concerns more seriously. 

   Some of the signs that M noticed about the friend always wore long sleeve shirts, always had bandaids on their wrist, cried in class and made jokes about wanting to hurt themselves.

   For M, after their friend committed, their life was tough, and their mental state was worsening, but they have been learning to grow around it and grow as a person, and it’s been easier to experience grief properly. 

   How they have coped with the loss of their loved one is by learning that there is no shame in asking for help, and that there is also no shame in having a shoulder to lean on. Writing poetry and listening to music has also helped.

   M thinks that suicide can be prevented by taking bullying more seriously, noticing signs of mental illness and not dissmissing them. “ Children and teenagers should always have a safe place to go, like to a counselor or to a teacher, they should always feel safe with some trusted adult .” 

   M says that it’s important to check up on people to not dismiss their problems as silly or as teen drama, and while it might be teen drama take it seriously and believe them when they say they are going through something. 

   “ It does get better, I am living proof. At first I didn’t even believe it but I let myself grow and mature and taught myself how to cope, and I am happier than I ever have been.”