Nowhere left to go: Where to seek help for mental health and suicide – Dailyuw

Based on the second floor of the School of Social Work are two organizations aimed at preventing the worst-case scenario with mental illness: Forefront Suicide Prevention and Huskies for Suicide Prevention and Awareness (HSPA).

Groups like Forefront and HSPA are resources everyone should seek if experiencing thoughts of suicide, regardless of the pressure that people often feel to not seek help.

Forefront is a group aimed at creating systemic change around suicide and providing support to students who struggle with mental illness and suicidal thoughts.

According to Marny Lombard, program manager for Forefront, illnesses such as depression and anxiety have a genetic component to them, so they are likely to run in a family. Lombard herself was inspired to join the mental health and suicide awareness movement when she lost her son years ago.

According to Lombard, with all the multiple causes and genetic factors contributing to mental health, its all the more important to seek help, whether it be through one of the many campus organizations, like Forefront or HSPA, or elsewhere.

These resources arent just for people experiencing suicidal ideation; theyre also for those who have lost people close to them.

Carter Osborne, a second-year graduate student in public administration, has also experienced the death of someone by suicide. In his freshman year, Osborne received the news that two of his friends, along with his favorite English teacher, had died by suicide, all within a few months of each other.

My friend said on the phone, Dude, whats happening? Osborne said. What is happening to this community that were a part of? The friends weve grown up with, the teachers that inspired us.

These events were heart-wrenching for Osborne and the rest of his community, and they inspired him to join HSPA.

HSPA is an RSO on campus spreading awareness about suicide and mental health to end the stigma surrounding such topics. It holds fundraisers and events for those who have experienced hardships due to mental health issues.

Mental illness doesnt always lead to suicide, but it can lead to a lot of other problems. Even in these cases, its important to seek help if you feel you need it. Mental health issues dont always go away by themselves, and they can grow and become bigger issues later.

Simranpreet Kaur Pannu is a junior and also a part of HSPA. Pannu has struggled with her mental health in the past. The stigma surrounding mental illness in her life was such that she couldnt go to the hospital.

My mom works at the hospital, Pannu said. So people that knew her saw me and told her that I was there it gave us a bad name in the Punjabi community.

Pannu said that her father couldnt visit his temple for weeks after her hospital stay because he felt too ashamed to show his face publicly.

According to Lombard, the stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide can lead to further ignorance on the topic.

All they might know is theyre sad a lot, they cry a fair amount, Lombard said. They are miserable, they have a few friends, but not a lot. Life is just hard. Theyve never been given the framework of understanding that this could be depression and that a combination of treatment can help.

Its never easy to detect when someone is suicidal. If it was, many scenarios might be different, including my moms. My mom had threatened suicide for years; after a while, they seemed like empty threats. After she died, I felt sad and angry at her. I still do sometimes those are feelings I just cant shake but I still miss her. She was my mom. I wish certain life circumstances would have been different, but I dont dwell on those like I used to. Life has been challenging, but Ive been able to seek out groups like these and find comfort and happiness.

Mental illness and recurring negative thoughts can start at any age. Leah Chen, president of HSPA, noticed this with a childhood friend.

It was really difficult for me as her friend to see her text me one day and say Im in the hospital but I cant tell you why or Im in the hospital because my mom slammed the door on my arm and broke it, Chen said about the abuse her friend suffered at home. I [was] in middle school, there was nothing much I could do it was hard to think that in a few years I wouldnt have my friend anymore.

A mutual friend told the school counselor about the students situation, but the school didnt do anything. Chen felt powerless to help her friend.

Chen noticed how mental illness and suicide werent talked about and were often ignored after this experience with her friend. She came to the UW, heard about HSPA, and was driven to help make the environment on campus more comfortable for everyone struggling.

Lombard, Osborne, Pannu, Chen, and myself were all affected in some way by mental health issues and suicide, and while it was hard, they all took action and wanted to help not only themselves get resources but others too.

When Lombard lost her son, she felt like she had nothing left to lose. But now she feels she can make a difference.

I thought, well, I got two choices, Lombard said. I can curl up in a ball and try to live in anguish for the rest of my life, or I can reach out and start to connect and start to learn and start to help and try to prevent one family from going through this. Its taking your pain or your grief and bending it toward a purpose.

Reach contributing writer Stevie Riepe at development@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @StevieRiepe

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Nowhere left to go: Where to seek help for mental health and suicide - Dailyuw