January 4 - Finding Hope

What is going on in Milan, Michigan? 

Recent headlines have saddened a community... no, an entire region.  Milan, Mi is just a stone's throw from my community.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire population of Milan and we hope that healing comes this community. 

Teen suicide is a devastating epidemic that destroys young lives, shatters families, and leaves a wake of sadness and confusion for those left behind.  This horror has become all too real for students and parents in the Milan School District.  In the last 3 months, Milan has lost 3 promising young lives to suicide.    Milan, Michigan is a small, friendly town located near Ann Arbor and by all accounts this type of thing does not happen here. 

Teen suicide ranks third among the leading causes of death for young people ages fifteen to twenty-four. More young people have died of suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, and chronic lung disease combined. Unfortunately, the heartbreak caused by teen suicide gives no sign of letting up. In the past forty years, youth suicide rates have almost tripled.


It doesn't have to be like this. Most teenagers who attempt suicide don't really want to die; they simply don't know how to handle their problems. They don't know who to ask for help, and they fear judgment and rejection.  Before attempting suicide, most teens will find roundabout ways of letting others know about their issues. An astonishing eighty percent of people talk about suicide before taking action and four out of five suicide attempters give warnings beforehand. Sadly, many adults are too afraid to give help, don't take the warnings seriously, or don't know to respond to these desperate cries of distress.


If you, or someone you love is considering taking your own life... know this, there is help available! Get this information into the hands of those who may need it.   SUICIDE IS A PERMENANT SOLUTION TO A TEMPORARY PROBLEM... things will get better! 



Resources:

•Suicide Help Lines: The Befrienders site is an online directory of suicide prevention hotlines in the United States and around the world.

•National Hope Line: Teens can call 1-800-SUICIDE at any time to be connected with a local suicide counseling center.

•National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Teens can call 1-800-273-TALK to reach a federally funded suicide prevention hotline.
 

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Source:  National Hope Line - Kristen Brooks Hope Center. 
               Befrienders.org