By Grace Finerman, WMUR 9
One New Hampshire teen hopes to help others by getting involved with mental health organizations.
Teen suicide is the second leading cause of death for people 15 to 24 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Emily Barrett, a senior at Alvirne High School, said she struggled with her mental health. “I did a lot of it like quietly and I made sure that no one else was going to know what I was going through, and that’s just exhausting,” Barrett said.
She looked for outlets to speak up, in hopes of helping classmates and friends to avoid suffering alone.
She heard about therapy through a classmate then connected with others involved in Robbie’s Hope, a foundation based out of Colorado with the goal of cutting teen suicides in half by 2028.
Barrett then became an ambassador for Robbie’s Hope.
“Filled out the application, a couple of days later I was in — and it has just been an absolute whirlwind since then,” Barrett said. “There is a certain sense of community you find in realizing you share with students in your classes and your school, but there’s like another level of it when you realize this is affecting people all over the country, all over the world.”
She also runs a student-led club called “Bring Change to Mind,” which is dedicated to mental health conversations.
“You’re not the only one who feels this way, and if you think you are, then you just have to keep looking,” Barrett said.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
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