2008 Woodie Awards
Recognizing the symptoms of suicide
Kristen Billera
Issue date: 10/14/04 Section: Features
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Picture a 17-year-old high school senior named Franky. He plays football, is captain of the wrestling team, and he is on student council. He is the vice president of the Holy Name Society, a Catholic organization in his school. He's smart and in honors classes. Franky was found dead in his car last Friday night. He killed himself.
I went to high school with Franky, but I never knew him. I have been told that he seemed happy, and I know that he was always popular and had a lot of friends. He had such a hopeful future ahead of him. On the surface, it seemed like he had everything, but apparently that is precisely where it all was - on the surface.
My friend, Samantha Alvino, said it best: "He had a BMW when he really needed something to hold on to."
Students have died at my high school before, but I don't think that it's had quite the effect on the student body as Franky's death has. During my sophomore year, we lost two seniors to car accidents. Those were different somehow; still tragic but completely unavoidable. This time, the entire student body feels like there must have been something we could have done. This did not have to happen.
I do not think Franky realized just how many people his death would affect. I do not think he knew there would be so many of us, even those of us who did not know him well, who would think of him after he was gone.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents 15-24. Only motor vehicle accidents and homicide rank higher. Of these three, suicide is the one that is entirely preventable. If people just educate themselves regarding the symptoms of suicide, this absolutely does not have to happen. The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) has published lists of warning signs to watch out for and ways to help someone who is suicidal.
The warning signs are:
-Talks about committing suicide
-Has trouble eating or sleeping
-Experiences drastic changes in behavior
I went to high school with Franky, but I never knew him. I have been told that he seemed happy, and I know that he was always popular and had a lot of friends. He had such a hopeful future ahead of him. On the surface, it seemed like he had everything, but apparently that is precisely where it all was - on the surface.
My friend, Samantha Alvino, said it best: "He had a BMW when he really needed something to hold on to."
Students have died at my high school before, but I don't think that it's had quite the effect on the student body as Franky's death has. During my sophomore year, we lost two seniors to car accidents. Those were different somehow; still tragic but completely unavoidable. This time, the entire student body feels like there must have been something we could have done. This did not have to happen.
I do not think Franky realized just how many people his death would affect. I do not think he knew there would be so many of us, even those of us who did not know him well, who would think of him after he was gone.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents 15-24. Only motor vehicle accidents and homicide rank higher. Of these three, suicide is the one that is entirely preventable. If people just educate themselves regarding the symptoms of suicide, this absolutely does not have to happen. The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) has published lists of warning signs to watch out for and ways to help someone who is suicidal.
The warning signs are:
-Talks about committing suicide
-Has trouble eating or sleeping
-Experiences drastic changes in behavior