@MaineLonghorn I am so sorry to hear about your lost…
This is why it is so important to be observant of family members’ emotions and tendencies, including your own. College transition and that first year of school is extremely nerve racking and stressful. Going from trying to pick your college, course of study, and finishing high school to being in the front seat with studies, a new place to live, new people, new expectations, new environment, etc. can be overwhelming and make people depress, even if they don’t express it.
I guess that’s why I took a gap year…ultimately because I was so stressed with picking colleges, going away from people I know and love, being somewhere I wasn’t familiar with, finances for college screwed up, and not sleeping were all contributing factors for me to become more depressed and at times contemplate should I continue with life…Now I feel a lot more relaxed, mature, and well prepared–emotionally and financially–that I am not as anxious about going away to college and quite excited for.
People need to not be afraid to listen to their emotional needs and address them sooner than later. Suicide is the end and can never be fixed…that’s why taking a moment and focusing on what one needs for personal health or of someone close is important. If we as a society can continue to remove the stigma of depression and mental health issues in order to help those in need we can become a lot happier as a people.