It is easy to forget that celebrities are technically "regular people" too. They just have a talent, make a lot of money, and have a lot of Twitter followers. The last one is the most important when they make mistakes or when something tragic happens. When the news broke Tuesday afternoon about Demi Lovato's apparent overdose, everyone was very quick to express either condolences or hate, along with some people pointing out the obvious truth that this tragedy is happening everywhere across the United States every single day and going practically unnoticed.
There were more than 100 heroin-related emergencies in Philadelphia over that previous weekend that were not stories in the news. Teen suicide rates are the highest death rates in the country. They are not tweeted about. E! news does not cover them. Celebrities do not tweet about them. No one is making them a public statement to remind everyone to check in on your friends or family members that you know are addicts or that may be struggling with their mental health. So what now?
If there's anything to take away from this tragedy, it's that we need to remember this is happening everywhere. It's happening to everyone. Someone, somewhere that you know is dealing with addiction, self-harm, or a mental health-related issue and we are pretending that it isn't real. We are hiding it for them: for their family, for ourselves. And what happened to Demi could happen again, but it could be worse. It won't be tweeted about, it won't be national news, it won't be on magazine covers... but it won't hurt the people around the one suffering any less. Maybe they don't want your help, but maybe they have just been waiting for someone to care.
Check in on your friends.
Check in on your family.
Check in on yourself.
Make sure that everyone has someone.
Make sure that people are educated.
Don't try to hide something to protect someone's feelings. Get help if you need it. Suggest help if you think someone else needs it.
Most importantly, learn boundaries for yourself. It is important to check in on people and make sure that everyone is alright but don't harm yourself trying to save someone else. Not everyone wants to be saved, and sometimes they just need to figure it out on their own. They know that they have you when they are ready. You can't create a better world by making it more chaotic and putting another sad, anxious person in it.
Just do the best you can. The people around you need you.
