Logyn Dilley, senior, stood in the lunch line on a seemingly normal afternoon almost a year ago when a friend called with devastating news: a close friend of hers had passed away.
Dilley said she broke down crying, overcome with confusion. Questions swarmed her mind: was he in a car accident? How could this have happened?

Later that day, she discovered he took his own life.

“You never really knew anything that was going on with him,” Dilley said. “He was so upbeat. We’d go to the mall, and he would start jumping on the beds in Sears just to be funny. You just never knew. He never told you any thing.”

She commemorated her friend with a tattoo on her foot—a cross inside an infinity sign decorated with his name. She said she believes he is in heaven, so the cross brings her closer to him. The infinity sign illustrates she will always keep him close to her heart.

This Oct. 30 marks a year after his passing.

“When [he] passed away, it made me realize that I needed to start living my life better,” Dilley said. “I know that sounds cheesy, but in one of his letters he wrote, ‘Live life to the fullest. Live life to the end.’ Ever since he passed away, I’ve been trying to live that quote.”

Dilley’s friend was not alone in his struggle with suicidal thoughts.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a national survey found 16 percent of high school students reported seriously considering suicide, 13 percent reported creating a plan and 8 percent reported attempting to take their own life in the year preceding the survey.

To promote suicide prevention, the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the World Health Organization sponsor meetings and events for World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10.

Support at MHS

At MHS, there are several systems of support students can utilize to help manage their mental health. This year, Rockwood began a partnership with Youth in Need, a non-profit children and family agency.

Youth in Need, founded in 1974, provides a variety of counseling and outreach programs for children, young adults and families in St. Louis and St. Charles. It’s funded through the St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund, which means there’s no added costs to the district or to the individual students.

At the end of last year, there was a handful of students who needed help immediately but did not have the financial means to find professional aid, Principal Dr. Greg Mathison said.
“As a building, we really tried to find ways to help support those kids,” Dr. Mathison said. “We can’t help a student academically if emotionally they’re not well.”
The counselors and social workers at MHS do a wonderful job of helping students, Dr. Mathison said. However, therapy is something that usually happens outside of school, so with the help of the Children’s Service Fund and the district, they found the services of Youth in Need.

Sam Bethel, clinical social worker, works for Youth in Need and splits his time between MHS and Lafayette. Brenda Casey, social worker, can refer students who are struggling with their mental health to Bethel. He is able to formulate treatment plans for problems with mental health but does not make an official diagnosis of any mental illness.
Therapists maintain confidentiality with their patients, so it is a free, safe environment for open conversations, Bethel said. The only time confidentiality would be broken is if a patient is making imminent plans to hurt themselves or someone else.

One of the most important steps people can do if someone is open about his or her suicidal thoughts with them is to listen, Bethel said.

“It is much easier for students to feel more isolated these days because of technology,” Bethel said. “Go out into the lunch room and see how many people are on their phones throughout lunch.”
High school students are at a very vulnerable age, Bethel said. With a more isolated society and more responsibilities, teenagers are at a great risk of developing depression.

Community Resources

Executive director Marian McCord started CHADS—Community, Healing, Adolescent, Depression, and Suicide—when her son Chad committed suicide at 18 years old in 2004.
CHADS programs include Signs of Suicide, an evidence-based suicide prevention program geared toward middle and high schoolers; the Olweus Bully Prevention Program, which is primarily for elementary and middle schools; Family Support, which aims to bring stability to families in crises; and a mental health first aid class, which teaches adults different plans of action in mental health crises.

CHADS speakers talked with approximately 21,000 students last year about preventing suicide and promoting awareness, McCord said. Ten to 12 percent of students consistently approached the presenter afterwards seeking further advice, either for themselves or for a friend. Statistically, one out of every eight teenagers has clinical depression.

“[The biggest tragedy] is that most of them don’t know that they have it and may go on trying to self medicate their depression with drugs or alcohol,” McCord said.
McCord said if someone is depressed, she recommends he or she go talk to a doctor or a therapist who can help people live happier and healthier lives.

Stop the Stigma

Parents can’t be afraid of talking about heavy topics with their children, McCord said. They are too often afraid that if they ask these questions, they might give their children an idea.

She recommends parents take the time to learn the warning signs of suicide and depression. They need to know that it’s okay; it’s not their children’s fault if they have depression.

“Just be that encourager,” McCord said. “Say, ‘I’m your mom; I’m your dad. And I want you to be happy and healthy.’ If you had diabetes or heart disease, I certainly would want you to get professional health. It’s the same thing with depression. Parents should encourage their kids to get help, just as if it were a medical illness.”

McCord said schools should champion suicide prevention to ensure young adults know how to help a fellow classmate who is having suicidal thoughts.
Rockwood requires teachers to attend suicide awareness training every year.

If a student is suicidal and plans on telling someone about it, the person they tell will most likely be a friend, McCord said. It is crucial that people with suicidal thoughts or depression know there are people who care about them and are eager to listen.

“That is the way that depression works,” McCord said. “It eats away at your self esteem, so often these kids don’t care about themselves and don’t think that anyone else cares about them.”