Dear Friend(s),

Are you one of those people who say "I'm going to kill myself" or "kill me now" or other phrases along those lines? If so, I am speaking directly to you. I am talking to the girl who says "I want to kill myself" because she has to stay up until 2 a.m. writing a paper because she decided to procrastinate.

This is for the guy that I passed walking on the sidewalk who said "I'd rather kill myself" because his mother asked him to attend a family dinner. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people let these phrases slip out of their mouths over something that will not even matter next week.

What I would like to say to all of you is one simple word: stop. Stop using these types of phrases. It's one of the most disrespectful things a person can say. It's especially disrespectful to people, like me, who have lost a close friend to suicide. It's even more disrespectful to the families of people who have lost their lives this way. When people have been effected by suicide and hear others use these types of phrases, it can really hurt.

It takes us back, and it really intensifies the hurt we feel over losing our loved one. So, for the sake of friends and families everywhere, people need to simply stop using such phrases.

RIP to my sweet friend, Phillip, and to many other beautiful souls that never took suicide as a joke.

If you or anybody you know has suicidal thoughts please call 1-800-273-8255.

Sincerely,

Friends and Families Everywhere