Acceptance

The word “suicide” makes me uncomfortable. That might sound a bit ridiculous since I've struggled with suicide, but I have often been shoved away from talking about the topic in front of anyone besides my therapist. That's really stupid considering it is the second leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds. If we are taught never to talk about suicide, how are we supposed to override that thought process when we need help? It's a scary, sensitive topic, but that doesn't mean we should ignore it and expect it to go away. This fear of mental health disorders has really started impacting my life over the past few years. I have spent significant amounts of time in psychiatric hospitals and it's hard to explain. I know I'm not alone in this. It gets really hard when you have a chance to tell a friend, but you don't know if you should because they might look at you differently or when some kid in the hallway shoots you a weird look because they've caught sight of some of your self-harm scars. Well, I've found that the good people stay. They don't give you a judgmental face or pity you. They listen. It can be hard to find them, but don't doubt them once you have. Someday hopefully everyone will respond in a helpful way, but until then, hold on to who you have. Talk, ask them for help. You are not crazy because you're hurting. Some people want to be there, so let them.