Submission: Students can engage in suicide prevention through advocacy, support
By Meghan Carvalho
April 25, 2017 9:57 p.m.
After the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Out of the Darkness Campus Walk to fight suicide at UCLA on Sunday and Andiver Castellanos’ Daily Bruin column on mental health Monday, it’s more important than ever that students engage mental health and suicide prevention head-on.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in this country. It touches millions of lives – people of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds – but the research is clear: Suicide is preventable, and the more people who stand up for suicide prevention and mental health, the more lives we can save.
I’m fighting because I know firsthand that suicide is preventable. Three years ago, I attempted to take my own life. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through. I felt scared, hopeless and alone. Thankfully, I had a strong support system of family, friends and doctors, but not everyone can be so lucky. I walk and volunteer with AFSP to give support to those struggling with suicide and to spread the message that talk saves lives.
Funds raised support AFSP and its bold goal to reduce the annual suicide rate in the United States by 20 percent by 2025 through research, education, advocacy and support. These walks are truly uplifting experiences, and they grow every year. If you’d like to join us, you can visit www.afsp.org/ucla.
Carvalho is a UCLA alum who graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in political science.
