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It’s not an easy subject to talk about, and it’s not one we want to talk about. But, people take their life everyday, including teenagers.
Last week local high school students took a bold step in addressing the issue as they came together in a night of awareness and worship, and participating in a walk to remember those lost to suicide. Brandon Young, a local pastor and elementary school principal, set the tone for the event when he noted that that everyone at some time or other has been affected by suicide, and that “We’re all going through something and sometimes we just need someone to listen and to be kind.”
Everyone, whether they be young or old, at some point in their life face difficulties and problems that seem beyond their reach. They struggle with depression and anxiety. Everyone has those dark times, and oftentimes it’s difficult to reach out for help.
Depression. A pastor speaking at last week’s event described it as a “dark hole you can’t get out of.” It’s not something we like to talk about as there’s a stigma attached to such feelings. But, depression is real and it can hit anybody. Perhaps the biggest challenge in the field of mental health concerns the stigmas that can come with it.
If we break a leg or arm, we don’t hesitate to go to the doctor to get medical help. But, if we have a broken heart or broken spirit, often we are left alone to deal with it.
It’s something we need to talk about more than we do. And, there needs to be more services to deal with it, and experts to talk about it.
We in the community must recognize that there are more and more children and teens struggling with anxiety and depression, sometimes in very acute ways, and at younger and younger ages.
We must get a handle on the increased need for services, and the government must pump more resources into schools, medical fields, and intervention. Children can be cruel to other children, especially when they are different. This is where intervention is needed, especially in our schools.
Yet we remain in an era when every issue seems to divide into political showdowns. This one must not create fissure. We must have discussions about anxiety, trauma, and warning signs of suicide in the classroom. Such training in schools should be as welcome as lessons in CPR. Some states are placing mental health days into the school calendar. It’s a recognition that sometimes kids need a break from work, just like adults.
Tennessee’s children need help in the classroom and out of it. We are happy to see Carter County students taking the lead in talking about about suicide and moving it to the forefront. Having frank discussions about healing the mind will hopefully lead more students to identify it as a career goal. But, even more, perhaps and hopefully it will lead them to be more compassionate to others, especially those who are in a “dark hole.”
Left ignored, mental health can be an invisible crisis. The benefits of addressing it can be unseen as well, but are incalculable.