September 9-15th was National Suicide Prevention Week. This week was created to inform people about the danger of suicide. It is meant to encourage everyone who is struggling to stay strong and to remember that “giving up” is not the answer.
“I didn’t want to be on the earth anymore. I wanted to be away from all of the negative comments saying I was ugly, I wasn’t worth it, and I was fat. I hated it and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I was hopelessly depressed. I took the pills and went to sleep. I woke up at 3:38am and I was so relieved to have woken up. Suicide is scary, even just attempting it.” This is sophomore Giana Falacco-Medeiros’s story. Many people don’t realize how final suicide is. Luckily for Giana, she woke up. There are a huge number of people who don’t get that fortunate.
Many are not aware of the seriousness of suicide, not only just the thought, but the actual attempt and completion. One suicide is committed every forty seconds. That exceeds the number of deaths from homicide and war combined. It is one of the leading causes of death. The sad thing is, suicide attempts are twenty times higher than the actual number of suicides. If everyone who attempted suicide succeeded, there would be about 43,000 suicides a day. Although there are three male suicides for every female suicide, the rate of suicide attempts is 2-3 times higher in women than in men. There are many people who think about suicide and most of their peers never realize it. National Suicide Prevention Week is to raise awareness to others regarding suicide. People go through difficult times and often don’t see a way out, but that doesn’t mean things can’t change.
During school, we have six classes, each full of different kids. We pass all kinds of people walking to and from classes. Most of us never stop to think about the lives of others. The girl sitting next to you with a permanent smile across her face, could possibly be planning to go home and swallow a mouthful of pills. We don’t realize how much someone could be going through and a simple compliment might even save somebody’s life. When you’re with friends, it’s easy to find yourself laughing at the way a person wears their hair, or how their shirt doesn’t match their shoes. No one wants to feel like they’re not good enough or aren’t wanted. Judgment can really damage a person and nobody wants to end up in someone’s suicide note. Instead of pointing out something negative about a person, try finding something positive. Another’s opinion can do permanent damage. Sometimes, all somebody needs is a friendly smile to remember that those feelings are temporary.