Do you know anyone who either hurts themselves or is suicidal? Have you ever got annoyed when someone talks about their problems to you? Well, why is that? 1 in 5 teens are struggling with mental health, that is 20% of our population. Does this population do anything to help? In 2018 we lost 22 children aged 0-14 and 182 teens aged 15-19 to suicide in Australia alone. Since then, these numbers are still rising. Most of these teens either tried to call out for help but weren’t heard, and sadly, some were just plainly ignored. Do you know what it is like to be ignored or misheard? Well, this is a daily occurrence for teens with mental health.
Imagine that you are stuck in a box and can’t find a way out. All these thoughts go around your head saying, “You’re not good enough.”, “You suck.”, “You should just kill yourself.”. You’re smacking the side of this box screaming, “Someone help me! Please help me!”. But no one can hear you. This is how some people with mental health feel. Why is it that society doesn’t like the idea of mental health? We’re always told to talk to someone when we need help, but when we do, we are told that they don’t want to hear it, or “you will be fine”.
Most of society believes suicide is selfish, when it really is someone that could find a different way out of their thoughts. No one really wants to die; they just think it is the only way they can escape the pain they feel. If you told someone that suicide is selfish, and they were suicidal, how do you think that would make them feel?
Right now, somewhere in the world, a family is grieving a family member who decided that their only way out was suicide. While we go about our day complaining that we’re exhausted, and all we want is to sleep, there is always someone around you struggling and needing your help because their thoughts have overcome them. So, why aren’t we trying to help those who are hurting, those who are struggling? We’re too consumed in our lives to see that there are more people in the world than just ourselves.
If teen came and said that they are suicidal, why do we assume that they are attention seeking? If that same person commits suicide everyone considers it a tragedy. Why do we completely ignore the signs? Do we just not know how to help? The more aware people are, the more help that can be provided. Less people left in the shadows, and less families left without a loved one.
Yes, this is something that students learn in their high school experience but that is having a negative effect on their views on suicide. All it does makes us be more consumed in ourselves because they are literally teaching you that these thoughts are unnatural , and you can’t tell your friends because they will tell a teacher and that would get you into “trouble” or be told you shouldn’t be in school.
If you’re confused in class, you raise your hand and ask the teacher to help. So why can’t it be the same when you are confused on your emotions or you’re having a bad day? Well, I think this is because there is really no trust between you and your teachers, because as soon as you tell them that you hurt yourself or are suicidal, they must go to your parents.
Now, while most parents are supportive and caring about this topic, there are some parents that either go over the top and tell you to just toughen up and forgot about it, or some who just don’t trust you with your own feelings anymore. I feel like this idea of how your parents are going to react makes it so difficult to be brave and confident because you never know how someone is going to take news so serious like this.
So why is it so hard to ask for help when you feel like you’re drowning in your emotions? Why do schools say that if you need help, speak up, but when you do, all you get is hate and get told to just shake it off and you will be fine. Why is it when you ask for help, no teachers or adults you trust can help you? Many people are suffering conditions like this in this world, so if we can take away this bad stigma on mental health maybe we can help teens realise that they can share their feelings and they have to be brave and even save a life.
The underlining fact why people commit suicide is mental health. How can us as society change the negative views and opinions about mental health. Just because it doesn’t affect you, your effecting someone else when you decide to say that “you will be fine, just be happy” You might not see it, but it hurts them. So, do you want to be a part of a society that puts people down so much but there only way out is suicide, or be a part of a society that make people happy and helps when people are feeling down?