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A person in need

A few months ago, I was consoling a friend who had recently lost all her companions, been shunned out of school, and had rumors spread about them for just being themselves. Since COVID-19 quarantine was still going on, we could only communicate through text. She was thinking of suicide and I was just there, peppering her with reasons why she shouldn’t go, constantly spamming her phone until she would text back to reassure me this was okay. I felt her pain through the blue screen, though I couldn’t hear her sobs. After an hour, she gradually calmed down. After my mother had brought up her website’s new contest, Shining Moments, I decided to enter this story in with her permission.

Clarissa Shen Avatar
Clarissa Shen
Clarissa Shen is a Youth Ambassador Lead with curaJOY and a high school junior at Sage Creek High School. With curaJOY, she hopes to give voice to underrepresented youth and break the social stigma against mental health. In her spare time, Clarissa enjoys doing her homework (surprisingly,) reading, playing the piano, writing, and singing.

Responses to “A person in need”

  1. Caitlyn Wang Avatar
    Caitlyn Wang

    Your friend must trust you a lot to confide in you, and yes, people in crisis often just want an understanding ear. Being a confidante can be a heavy burden, especially in a serious matter like suicidal thinking.

    For the age group of 5-25, suicide is actually the second cause of death, and it affects people regardless of their wealth, intelligence, appearance or achievement. A person may seem to have it all but be dying on the inside.

    When kids confide in their peers about thoughts of suicide, do those peers have the ability or resources to truly help? Should they live with the consequences should their friends commit suicide?

    Psychologist and counselors go through 5-8 more years of education and training after college to become qualified to provide treatment, and they must continue their education in order to remained licensed.

    If a friend calls you up about a debilitating tooth ache, would you talk her through it alone or would you refer her to a dentist? Giving people who need help the proper help and encouraging them to seek help is the right thing to do because their lives are precious and you care about them enough to protect their lives. 💓

    Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

    Text HOME to 741741 for free, 24/7 crisis counseling. Parents don’t have to be involved.

    Reply
  2. biancamjshen Avatar
    biancamjshen

    Are you sure that your friend was going to commit suicide?

    Reply

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