Nowadays, it seems as though “everyone” is depressed, self-harms, has an eating disorder or regularly thinks about taking their life. We’ve become numb to others’ negative mental-health that some people ignore it all together. We need to stop fighting the illusion that it will work itself out. Often times, it does not work itself out, and that is when things get ugly.
Over the summer, a close friend of mine, Rhea Davis, sent out a mass message to her friends via the social app Snapchat, making comments that insinuated she may take her life. But to many, this cry for help was not “new.” She had attempted suicide five times since she was just 13 (and she was only 16 at this point in the summer).
Usually, several would respond to these cries and help talk her down, but this time, only two friends made an effort, and this time was serious.
It ended after I made a phone call to 911 telling them she was going to take her life. I asked Rhea in an interview if the police had not shown up, would she have ended her life? She responded, “100%, no doubt in my mind.”
I asked some of those who received her initial cry for help, how they responded. I was given the excuses “It was just her complaining again,” “She wouldn’t really do it,” or “I am just sick of her whining all the time.” They had all ignored the message that may have been her last. there are many more people like my friend Rhea, who cry out for help but no one reaches out to save them.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 34 in the state of Ohio. In the US, 44,193 Americans take their life every year, making that 121 suicides a day. That means 121 people a day are unsuccessful in finding someone to help them.
And many of those people are just like my friend Rhea, who asked for help and are ignored by people who couldn’t just take ten minutes to try. Simply creating a relationship with these people where they feel they can reach out for help and receive it is enough to save a life.
I asked Rhea what she would say to others who have friends struggling with suicide like her and she replied, “Always be there for them, no matter what they say or what they do to push you away, do not leave. They really need someone to be ‘that’ person. Don’t be afraid to speak to someone about [their mental state]. They will get mad at you, but you [may] save a life in the long run.”
Kelsey Fitzpatrick
Reporter