Suicide. Even the word alone sounds very dire and heavy, and to most people- especially those who have lost a loved one to suicide or felt suicidal themselves- it is extremely difficult to talk about. It can devastate entire families, schools, and even communities. 

The Scribe conducted a survey on the topic of suicide amongst Cleveland High students. All questions were anonymous and optional except for the first listed below- Here’s what we found. 

Have you ever been suicidal?

Do you know somebody at Cleveland who is suicidal? 

If you have ever felt suicidal, what are the biggest contributing reasons? 

Due to a semi-low amount of responses, we did not include the stats of those who had tried to commit suicide at some point- but at least 4 of our interviewees said they had.

When asked what resources help them at Cleveland, one anonymous student said one thing that helps is “Having a teacher I am comfortable with and can talk to, or just hang out with… when I’m feeling upset.” Another said that RamTime gets them through the day and makes school easier. 

On the contrary, there are multiple students that feel Cleveland doesn’t do enough to address the issue of mental health. One response says, “Literally nothing from Cleveland has helped. I think that mental health should be more talked about- and not just with clubs, but by administration and that wellness days should be put in place where we don’t have to go to school (teachers included) where we can just breathe.” 

A different peer said something similar- “I think some teachers can’t grasp that we have our own problems outside of school, and school could make it worse for some.” 

One student suggested that while counselors are good for college readiness, they don’t help with matters such as these. “(Cleveland) has not helped and they’re lacking everything a suicidal person needs. All they care about is what college you go to and what classes you have.”

These results should be treated, to anybody who might be reading this, as a wake-up call. Even though there were not a large number of responses, this statistically means several people in any of your given classes have battled or are actively battling suicidal thoughts. It may be easy to assume everything about a person’s life just from hearing them talk, but you are usually only hearing the surface of their story. Although there are plenty of warning signs, there are countless cases where even loved ones never would’ve guessed it would happen- much less distant classmates. 

Our findings of suicidality among students are not reserved to our school alone- data from the CDC shows that suicide is the second leading cause of death among Americans aged 15-19. In 2020, the suicide rate of those aged 15-24 was 14.24 per 100,000 people.

This is a lower statistic than that of any other age group, but rates are on the rise- When Gen Z hits the current age for the peak suicide demographic (age 45-54, according to AFSP), will the rate skyrocket? Only time will tell, but it is extremely likely given the rampant mental health crisis in modern teenagers. 

If you are feeling hopeless, please take comfort in knowing somebody cares about you. The first eighteen years of your life do NOT define what the rest of it will be like, and there is a vast, beautiful world waiting for you. Your life and experiences as a unique individual are irreplaceable, and you were meant to be here.

American Suicide Hotline: 988 (call or text!)

Trevor Project Lifeline: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/ 

Hopeline NC: https://www.hopeline-nc.org/ 

Also, do not be hesitant to ask your doctor, therapist or guidance counselor for help. You are not a burden- they are specifically trained to help you and it is their job.