Hey. It’s the kid who wrote about suicide a year ago.

I don’t want to get too deep, but, I’ve recently attempted suicide by cutting myself along my wrist. I’ve done it twice within two weeks now. Thankfully I’ve been getting the help that I need.

Despite my recent struggles, it makes me happier that the phrase “I want to kill myself” has been used a lot less, because I can now express my needs and get help without being dismissed as making a joke by peers and possibly teachers.

However, there’s still a lot of work to do in society regarding suicide.

Suicide isn’t a topic discussed enough. It’s often ignored or misinterpreted as being selfish or inconsiderate, when the case is the complete opposite.

Suicide is, nine times out of ten, never done for selfish and inconsiderate reasons.

In fact, the reason many contemplate suicide it is because of their perception of themselves, often feeling like they’re not enough for the people in their lives. From experience I know that being called selfish doesn’t help this feeling at all. If anything, it gives your mind another reason to end your life early– if you’re selfish and not enough for those you love, then what’s the point?

While suicide doesn’t always stem from self-worth issues, it’s a heavy factor. Other factors include the emotional pain they experience due to past or current events in their lives.

Being under this kind of pain alone is not okay, and that’s why it’s important to talk about it.

All kinds of people– including adults– sometimes believe and push their mentality of suicide being selfish upon those feeling this way. It’s important to educate peers and others about suicide, along with mental illness, so it can be prevented from taking more lives.

Children often don’t understand mental illness due to the lack of education surrounding it. While it’s understandable to shield them from such a heavy topic, it’s still very important to help them learn that people experience mental illnesses and sometimes are even born with it.

I’ve experienced trauma, PTSD and depression since I was in elementary school. In my life during those early years, I never understood why I acted so different from others and couldn’t handle certain situations. It lead to a lot of self-loathing and self-hatred, only fueling my suicidal thoughts.

When children are exploring the world and the people that live in it, it’s important to teach them that people struggle with certain situations and react differently because of something partially out of their control. It’s also important to teach them that it’s okay, and that it’s never a problem to ask for help.

If you’re currently struggling with suicide or depression, please reach out to a teacher, peer, or the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

If you’re too nervous about using your voice, you can always text HOME at 741741 (US only).

As someone who experiences these feelings and thoughts during my everyday life, it’s important to not be alone.