Content warning: Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. That’s what we’ll be talking about in this email, and if for whatever reason you can’t read it today, we understand 🧡

Did you know that 1 in 4 young people are experiencing suicidal thoughts? I know, because I was one of them. Starting as early as seventh grade, I had to leave school for several months at a time due to suicidal ideations. For most of my life, I’ve fought against the stigma around mental illness.

Many kids go through exactly what I did. In fact, the leading cause of death for people aged 15-29 isn’t car crashes, illness, or shootings -- it’s suicide. And for every suicide that results in death, there are as many as 40 attempted suicides. But with such easy access to firearms, many people don’t even get the second chance they need to get the help. 

Young people all across the country are suffering. When our national average is 482 students to every one counselor, it’s no wonder many students feel like they have no one to talk to. Because a mental health issue or episode can quickly become fatal with easy access to firearms, it’s clear that gun violence prevention IS suicide prevention. 

This is an issue that affects every single community. Nearly two-thirds of all gun deaths in the U.S. are suicides, and the rates are only getting worse for young people, veterans, and rural Americans. There are things that can help in the immediate term, like extreme risk protection orders, but if we want to solve this nation’s gun violence problem, we must go after the root causes of suicide -- a lack of mental health care, economic uncertainty, growing inequality, structural racism, and more. The suicide rate in this country has gone up 19% just in the last decade. Clearly, not enough is being done.

This is a conversation we need to be having with each other and with ourselves NOW. This pandemic is so, so hard -- many people are losing loved ones, or their jobs, unsure of where their next meal will come from, and are isolated from friends and family. For others, it may be that the toll of Black people murdered by police without any justice served is mentally exhausting. And of course -- we all have the most important election of our lives coming up.

As activists and people engaged in politics, it’s important to rest and take time for yourself. Burnout is real, and you’re not alone. Check on your friends, and destigmatize needing mental rest (that goes for you, too). We also have mental health resources available on our website.

In solidarity,

Elena Perez
Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizing Director 
March For Our Lives