I have a friend who struggles with depression and it's not because of any diagnosed mental disorder. It's because she has had a very abusive, neglectful, and traumatic childhood. The things that happened to her have scarred her for life and sometimes the pain is too much to bear. She has survived several suicide attempts. She is currently doing well right now and because of her cries for help, she has many friends who have rallied around her and offer support. I'm so thankful that things are turning out OK for her.
I think the most ironic and shocking incident happened when I was working at an alternative high school that was for troubled youth who were falling behind and getting lost in the shuffle. We were just beginning to observe Suicide Prevention Week, when our principal's son turned up missing. Later that week we learned that he had been found, dead from suicide. It was so tragic to learn of this and so ironic that it happened during the actual week of what we were trying to prevent....suicide. It brought way too close to home the fact that suicide knows no boundaries.
Even children think about suicide. During a news conference Utah Lt. Governor, Spencer Cox, talked about his childhood, when his parents divorced and how he was also teased and bullied at school. He thought about suicide and shared how a great scout leader helped him through his darkest time.
Today, September 10, is World Suicide Prevention Day and all of September is Suicide Prevention Month. According to the World Health Organization, suicide is the second-leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds globally, with more than 800,000 deaths due to suicide each year. That’s approximately one person every 40 seconds. Many more attempt suicide.
Image - Nichole Jensen |
Prayer is a wonderful way to unite people of faith and it also facilitates action! For the rest of the month, watch for articles on events and ways you can get involved to help prevent someone from doing the unthinkable. There is help available and we can be part of someone's decision to choose life! Here are some organizations that can help someone in crisis.
- Crisis Text Line (USA), Text HOME to 741741
- Native Youth Crisis Hotline (Native Americans in the USA), 1-877-209-1266
- Distress Centre (Canada), 403-266-HELP (4357)
- Kids Help Phone (Canada), 1-800-668-6868
- Befrienders Worldwide (helplines around the world)
- Beyond Blue (Australia), 1300 22 4636
- Kids Helpline (Australia), 1800 55 1800
- Lifeline Shanghai (China; English only), (021) 62798990Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain! I open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag! I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to! So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too! I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome)