Around the world, suicides are tragic events plaguing today’s society. Unfortunately, the rate of suicides has been steadily increasing in the past 10 years especially for teenagers and young adults, as it is the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 15-24 (NIMH.gov). The month of September is National Suicide Awareness Month, and its purpose is to bring awareness to prevent suicides and information regarding suicides.

With the addition of social media to everyday life and increased pressure at school and other places, mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, among teenagers have been becoming more and more prominent leading to an increase in suicides and suicidal behavior. During September, we want to bring awareness to suicides, break the stigma regarding mental health, give a voice to survivors and organizations who constantly work to prevent suicides, and hopefully help with the mental health of suicidal people.

It is imperative that we show suicidal people that there are reasons to live and that suicide should never be an option. To be able to prevent suicides, the warning signs of suicide should become common knowledge to everyone around the world. Talking about death, feeling like a burden, self-harm, mood swings, and losing interests in activities are all warning signs of suicide. Some ways to prevent suicide include not discounting a suicidal person’s feelings, being a good listener, encouraging them to seek health from professionals, giving them healthier ways to cope with suicidal thoughts, and not thinking that suicidal people are seeking attention (verywellmind.com). 

Covid-19 is impacting the world tremendously and is having a multitude of negative effects on modern society. One of those negative effects is an increased number of people feeling suicidal thoughts or having heightened problems with their mental health. Due to Covid-19 and the stay at home order, around 40% of respondents of a survey said that they had increased mental health problems during this uncertain and isolated time (CDC.gov). 

For example, Hayden Hunstable, a 12-year old boy from Columbus, Ohio, committed suicide on April 17. His father, Brad Hunstable, recalls that he was not a depressed kid and that isolation from Covid-19 was a major factor that led to Hayden’s irreversible decision. His father says in a video that “Social isolation is hard enough for adults. It’s even harder for the kids” (10WBNS). This heartbreaking news heavily affected his family and shocked a lot of people in his town. His father recommends parents talk with their children, promote social interaction, and help them develop healthier habits and coping methods to reduce the chance of suicides among these vulnerable kids and teenagers.

Many students at our school want to prevent suicides and promote better mental health outlets for those who are struggling with their mental health. One student at our school, Amber Han (11), believes that to prevent suicides at Yorba Linda High School, “the staff needs to be empathetic when students are struggling, not punish them for failing, not put so much pressure on students, and create a less stressful academic environment.” As students at Yorba Linda High School continue virtual learning and quarantine, there needs to be a greater focus on helping the mental health of those who need it and preventing suicides and suicidal tendencies. 

Suicides are solutions to problems that are usually temporary, and the main purpose of National Suicide Awareness month is to prevent suicides. When someone commits suicide, it breaks the heart of family members, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers. With Covid-19 and being in isolation, the lack of human interaction mentally harms a lot of people, especially students, who crave social interaction and want to be with their friends. Every day, right now and in the future after Covid-19, students, parents, teachers, and everyone else should work to prevent these tragedies from happening. Suicide should never be an option!