'You're not alone.' Cape high school students share experiences with suicide

In February 2022, Jack Collins, now a senior at Falmouth High School, was diagnosed with depression and anxiety.

Through a two-week online program with Massachusetts General Hospital, he spent hours on Zoom, in individual and group sessions, working closely with medical professionals, and learning to cope.

“My biggest takeaway from the program was that there are more people that care about you than you could ever know,” said Collins. “If you see somebody that's struggling, just tell them how much you care and how much you're there for them.”

Collins has since joined the Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition or BRYT Program, offered by Falmouth High School and Hope Squad, a nationally-recognized group focused on suicide prevention.

“As part of Hope Squad, we’ve been selected by our peers as good listeners; we are there to be the first people a student can talk to, because it's much easier to talk to a student than it is to a mental health professional or even a teacher,” he said at an online forum on Tuesday.

The nation has seen a 70% increase in youth suicide since 2007.

Since 2007, there's been a 70% increase in youth suicide nationwide, and it is the second leading cause of death for youth. That's according to Dr. Kim Mead-Walters, executive director of the nonprofit organization Sharing Kindness, and one of several panelists at the forum where Collins spoke, hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Cape Cod Area and YMCA Cape Cod Achievers Program

Tuesday's forum was focused on services needed for preventing youth suicide on the Cape. Moderated by Jackie Lane, executive director of NAMI Cape Cod & The Islands, other panelists included state Sen. Julian Cyr, who sponsored the Mental Health ABC Act 2.0; Daniel Rodrigues, director of substance use disorders at Duffy Health Center; and Catherine Fauth, school adjustment counselor at Falmouth High School.

COVID-19 made everything difficult, especially for students.

Logan Hurwitz, a Barnstable High School junior, lost her friend to suicide in May 2021. For Hurwitz, the struggle was dealing with the feeling she could have done something to prevent it from happening.

“It can be hard to think about what you could have done differently, but a good way to help stop this from happening again is to try and put yourself in other people's shoes and imagine how they could be feeling,” she said.

Suicide rates have gone up in recent years due to COVID-19; quarantine made it hard to live life normally, especially for students, who were attending school from their homes.

“The pandemic created a lot of isolation and negatively affected people's mental health; it just made everyone feel really alone,” she said.

In Hurwitz’ experience, her friend was always the funny, cheery one who seemed happy. Not seeing the warning signs are harder for her to deal with.

“It's not enough to check on people just when you think that they're feeling down, you should just make an effort to check in with everyone whenever, because you can never know what's going on in someone else's mind,” Hurwitz said.

Cape youth deaths Suicide prevention advocates hold forums after recent Cape youth deaths

Quarantine isolated teenagers.

Sophia Ryan, a senior at Nauset High School, said she tried unsuccessfully to commit suicide twice over the course of three months, just before the pandemic started.

After spending weeks at an Attleboro treatment center with other struggling high school students, she began to learn ways to help herself. Today, Ryan aspires to be a social worker, dedicated to helping those who despair.

Ryan talked about how the quarantine made her sink further into depression.

“I had to manage a lot of time alone, cut off from human contact; schooling was really rough and I spent the majority of my time focused on what I could control, my schoolwork and healing.”

Her message to students suffering from depression:

“You're not alone; it may feel like you are but I promise there is someone out there, whoever that may be for you that loves and cares for you and it gets better with time.”

By reaching out to those around you for support and getting the help you need, little by little the weight of sorrow lessens, she said.

Access to mental health support system is the key.

The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ youth (13-24) consider suicide each year in the U.S. — and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds.

"I didn't really get much behavioral health help until I went to college," Sen. Cyr said. "I’m someone who has been able to access mental health care and that has made all the difference.”

Dr. Kim Mead-Walters focuses on the important aspect of students feeling more connected in school environments. According to the American School Counseling Association, currently, less than 20% of students who die from suicide tried to access their school's counseling center as a resource.

Falmouth High School’s Bridge program offers specialized classrooms, mental health and educational support in a community-based setting, for students returning from prolonged absences due to a serious mental health condition.

“I am seeing a lot of struggling teenagers that are willing to talk, and the right network gives students that space within the school,” Fauth said.

Cape Cod Community College President John Cox was recently honored at the Statehouse by the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention (MCSP) for his work in making the college a statewide leader in suicide prevention efforts.

According to Dean Christine McCarey, the community college has a student wellness office on campus, staffed with a director, a clinician and a case manager who help students navigate their basic needs. The college also runs training on campus ranging from mental health first aid to safe talk. According to the Massachusetts Community College's suicide prevention procedure, the college also has a policy that essentially outlines the response if they come across a student in imminent danger.

Peer support is what gets them through the tough times

Ryan said being among other high school students helped her heal. Collins and Hurwitz agreed, saying sharing their feelings with friends and other students eventually helped them heal and deal with problems.

According to Fauth, in Falmouth High School, students get together to form groups and safe spaces for each other and that plays a big role in dealing with mental health problems.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached by dialing simply 988, or 877-870-4673.

Rasheek Tabassum Mujib writes about healthcare and education. Reach her at rmujib@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Youth suicide prevention forum focuses on providing Cape students help