By Paige Hoblak (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: September 19, 2012
This last year my best friend lost three close family friends due to the silent killer we all know as suicide. Although she is my best girl, I found these tragedies put up a brick wall between us that I didn’t know how to break.
I started reminding myself to think before I speak; something I never had to do around her before, as she is one of the most liberal people I know. I was often lost for words and the silence became a noise I couldn’t get out of my head. I always felt that if I ignored it we could get through the day as our old selves, but ignoring didn’t always feel right because I wanted her to know that I was there for her, no matter how depressed and hopeless she was feeling.
I came to a medium where I gave her space, reminding her through cards I wrote alongside flowers, that she wasn’t alone.
It always gets me that we have an infinite supply of textbooks and numerous courses dealing with things so out of our reach, beyond and before our time, but when the real issues hit we are just supposed to roll with the punches, so to speak. We need to find a way to break the silence that comes along with suicide and to find a way to deal with its subsequent effects.
I believe that schools should implement some sort of mandatory class to educate students on issues, such as suicide, which are usually swept under the rug. The class could stress a judgment-free zone where students could share their personal stories (if willing), and discuss the best ways to deal with the issues presented.
Maybe in creating this outlet for students a sense of community would be established, allowing them to feel part of something bigger than themselves.
September is suicide awareness month. I was reminded of this by the notorious Facebook which had me write the word ‘love’ across my wrist to promote awareness on September 10.
When I came to school with ‘love’ boldly written with sharpie across my wrist, I was surprised that I didn’t see much of the same. I thought that with students so consumed with the social media site that everyone would have followed suit, but I was unfortunately wrong.
So what will it take to break the silence?
Facebook launched a new service that allows users to report suicidal comments posted by their friends, triggering an email advising them to call a help-hotline and speak in private with a counsellor online. I cannot say if this will work or not, considering the lack of attention to the September 10 love campaign; however, I am overjoyed to see social media using its power effectively to create awareness about issues that really matter.
The Counselling department is hosting their annual Depression and Anxiety Education Screening Day (DAESD) on Thursday, October 4, where they will be offering free depression and anxiety screening tests, resources and free snacks.
There is also an extensive list of online resources to help those thinking about suicide or those who want to help potential victims.
