There are endless amounts of posts on social media being made for Suicide Awareness Month. All over Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, people post about the importance of reaching out for help and to those who may need help, often linking resources to suicide prevention helplines. Many people even post about their own battle with mental health or suicide. These posts are all made in the hopes of helping others by showing acceptance, awareness, and relatability.
Yet how many people are actually comfortable with talking about suicide and mental health in person? Who is actually willing to be vulnerable and bring up such a heavy issue, or even their own personal struggles? While posting on social media obviously brings recognition to such a prevalent issue and helps many people across the globe, it is so important for us to also speak about it in the real world.
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Being in college, mental health becomes a tremendous struggle for almost every student at one point or another. Balancing academics, work, clubs and a social life, along with the impending reality of actually becoming real adults, it's impossible not to feel anxiety, stress, anger or even depression. By dedicating an entire month to focusing on the impacts of untreated mental health problems, so much awareness can be brought to light, and help an overwhelming number of people.
Yet in the culture we live in, we find it difficult to bring up something so dark such as death, especially when that death involves someone taking their own life. It's uncomfortable, and honestly, a really bleak thing to discuss. A lot of people feel scared to reach out for help when suicide is such a taboo topic. Others might feel intrusive if they're checking in on a friend they're worried about. So we get stuck in this weird middle ground, where any concerns about mental health just hangs heavily over our heads.
Suicide Awareness Month helps breaks down that barrier. It looks at the stigmatization of suicide and mental health and gives it the finger. It reminds people that literally, everyone struggles with mental health and that it is really okay to say, "I'm not okay," "I need help," and to ask "Are you okay?" It forces people to think about the reality of the world we live in, where about 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experiences mental illness in a year and over 44,000 Americans die by suicide each year.
Suicide Awareness Month is promoted by many organizations, such as To Write Love on Her Arms and The Trevor Project. They encourage people to take action for suicide prevention, such as by learning the signs, sharing resources and volunteering. By promoting more open discussion, recognition, and awareness of suicide and mental health, it gives confidence to those who may feel scared to open up and starts a chain reaction.
Suicide prevention can only be effective when we get over our fears and notions surrounding mental health and suicide. However cliché it may sound, every small action and word can go a long way in helping someone in need.
