5,000.
That’s the average number of youth suicides in a year. That’s roughly twelve a day, and one every two hours. The simple fact that it is the third leading cause of death in adolescents between the age of 15-24 should be broadcasted across every media outlet. It should make every human being on this planet sick to their stomach. Suicide and mental health are not some taboo topics that teens make up for attention or something they fake to get out of activities. Mental illness is just as debilitating as any physical disability, and it’s time for us as a nation to start acting like it. We need to teach our parents and grandparents to look deeper into the lack of motivation to clean our rooms or leave the house because those are clear signs of depression. Start normalizing the fact that we are going to have anxiety, especially after a global pandemic shut us away for months on end. The fact that I still hear that parents tell their kids that they don’t know what depression really is, or if they were really depressed, they wouldn’t do certain things makes me disappointed in society as a whole. It is time to stop dumping generational trauma on our youth population simply because it has been passed down through generations that mental health is a myth. It is past time to break the stigmas surrounding mental health issues.
Depression is not just sadness. It is feeling void of emotions but also being overwhelmed by them at times. Anxiety is not a gimmick created for attention. It is a sense of too much pressure, having something to prove, and a constant feeling of disappointment and embarrassment. Suicide is not weakness. It is fighting for so long to the point where your mind can no longer handle holding up the world. Suicide does not mean that the person is any less of a man or woman, and it sure does not mean that they were not strong enough to live. We get tired of fighting. We get tired of saying the same things over and over to people who do not listen or do not care to believe. We are tired of our struggles being dismissed as laziness, attention seeking, or dramatics. Society does not accuse a handicapped person of faking for attention nor do they tell parents that their child is not autistic and that they are looking for more parental affection. So why then is everyone quick to tell someone with a mental illness that it is not real or that we are “going through a phase”? Struggling with life is not a phase. If it were a phase that teens grew out of, three female collegiate level athletes would not have been lost from suicide in a matter of 30 days this April. If it were a phase, the rate of male suicide would not have quadrupled, and the rate of female suicide would not have doubled over the last six decades. Please stop telling these young men that they cannot have feelings or that it is feminine to struggle and be upset. Society has created a void of support, especially in the male community, because they have shunned them even more than females with mental illness.
As a society, we place so much pressure on our teens because we have seen the older generations fail in several areas. This immense pressure that has been placed on my generation and the ones to follow has compelled us into creating false expectations of a life without mistakes. I should not be living with the mindset that everything has to be perfect while I know that no one on this earth is perfect. This paradox has been created by a washed society that is numb to what young people feel and believe. We should be able to live out our childhoods without feelings of failure when we simply just want to have fun. I shouldn’t hear of numerous teens worried about coming forward about their mental health because they are worried about the fact that others will think they are crazy or faking it. I shouldn’t read or hear about young adults being bullied because they fight internal battles in their mind every day of their lives. As a society, we shouldn’t shame mental health; we should highlight it because it allows a feeling of safety. The sooner we begin speaking out and validating mental health instead of treating it like a disease, the more likely kids are going to reach out for help when their brain has them convinced that hurting themselves is the answer to their problems.
Moral of the story: America, do better. Stop shaming children for things out of their control, and instead, offer help, love and support. Stop handling these issues with kid gloves and chalking it up to seeking attention from people. Start spreading awareness to these real life issues. Begin promoting help hotlines to the point where they are integrated into daily life. Normalize going to therapy, being on medication, and asking for help when we need it. Start treating people with mental illnesses more like a human and less like a problem that needs solved. Make mental health days an inclusive part of excused absences or time off work instead of treating it as idleness. Accept the fact that everyone is flawed and creating unrealistic lifestyles on social media. Parents, check on your kids. Even if you aren’t a parent, this applies to you too. Listen to them. Pick up on the signs, and if you aren’t sure, ask. Despite what you tell your kids, you don’t know everything. No one does. In 2022, I shouldn’t have had to write this, but as a young adult who has to live with mental health every day of her life, please stop treating us like we are weak and insignificant in our feelings. Instead, ask how you can help. Don’t fail the generation that screams for help in more ways than one every day. It’s never too late to educate yourself on mental health.