WARNING: This article contains triggering topics including suicide, suicidal ideations, and graphic details.

The numbers are staggering, but often ignored.

Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the US and in 2020 there were around 1.2 million suicide attempts. Teenagers are the most likely to commit suicide out of all age ranges.

“When I was twelve years old a close friend of mine attempted suicide,” said one student who asked not to be identified. “Due to grief, the memories of the event are distant and I’m unable to remember the exact dates or what happened for around a month and a half after these events.

“The most I can recall is feeling completely numb to the world and everything around me. I remember laying in my bed staring at the wall for hours and my brain being empty. This feeling of numbness went on for weeks and it took me a very long time to come to terms with the events that took place.”

It took this person two years to fully reconcile with their experiences. It took them several sessions with a therapist and they needed to leave the environment where this took place completely. It’s such an amazing thing to be able to not only come to terms with your experiences but also have the ability to share them with others.

Many who feel suicidal ideations feel as if nobody will care about what happens to them and that the world will go on without them. In reality, losing anybody to suicide brings out an immense feeling of grief, just the same as if you lost a loved one under different circumstances.

There are five stages of grief, they include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. While most experience grief and move on with their life, sometimes grief never fully stops. This is especially common in those who lost or came close to losing a loved one to suicide. While you may move on with life the loss and grief will possibly stay with you, constantly changing.

Many people care about what happens to them if they commit suicide, and yes the world may move on without them, but it will never be the same. Some may believe that at school nobody cares about your mental health despite what might be said by principles or counselors.

Tomball High School is one of the first high schools in the area to have a full-time mental health counselor on campus who is willing to listen to and help any student who has any problems mentally. If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out to your counselor.