This article has been anonymized to protect the privacy of the author.

When I was little, I struggled through a lot. I got diagnosed with ADHD around 1st grade. ADHD made things ten times harder to complete or feel motivated to do. I always got distracted by the little things like looking outside during class or zoning out which set me far behind in my learning. I’ve never been much of a person who loves school or finds learning easy or fun. I’ve always had to ask for help when I got behind, which sometimes makes me feel embarrassed – as if my teachers or people around me are worried about my learning pace.

Later on in middle school I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety. I started to take medicine to help me try to feel better. I was glad I had told my parents about what was going on, and that they could support me through it.  Though that didn’t help me stop what I thought was a good coping mechanism to stop what I was thinking, though: I struggled with self harm because I taught my brain to think it was the only way my pain would go away. I’ve always felt this lingering thought in the back of my mind that “I’m not good enough” or “you can’t do this.” Later on around 6th grade, I started to believe those thoughts. 

In the middle of one of my years at high school, I started to have bad thoughts. Some of these thoughts which led me to wanting to end my life.  Thoughts like: I don’t deserve anything good in life and I’m a failure. All these bad things that had happened to me started to build up in my thoughts and feelings. I started to get flashbacks to previous sexual assaults that I survived during high school. 

These flashbacks made everything severely worse. Weeks later I tried to end my life. It didn’t work. I ended up in the Michigan mental hospital, which turned out to be the best for me. I met kids who were going through things I was going through. I learned how to stop some of these thoughts I was having and then most importantly I learned I do have a place in the world and that I shouldn’t let what others think of me or have done to me be the end of my existence. 

I know not everyone has supportive parents or parents that would understand what is going on. Even telling a friend or a family member or even a trusted adult what is going on is a big step towards getting help and what you need. 

Finding a therapist that can help support you can give you coping skills to stop you from any form of self-harm. Learning to talk through what is going on or what happened is really helpful. It can give you a way to help you move on from some of that sadness inside. 

There are many help resources that you can reach out to, anonymously. If you or you know anyone who is struggling, talk to them or tell an adult if you think a friend is risking their health, safety or well-being as a person. Please know that reaching out for help is the right thing to do for you, your mind, and your safety. 

It may be hard to take the first step into getting help. Taking a little leap of faith into talk therapy or talking to someone in general is a step in the right direction. Trust me, it’s freeing to let your thoughts and emotions out with someone you trust. 

Skyline counselors and school psychologist:

Charissa Bass – [email protected]

Dennis Brunzell – [email protected]

Heather Schimmel – [email protected]

Dave Alamassy – [email protected]

Liza Dedvukaj  – [email protected]

Jacinta Nafziger – [email protected]

(Psychologist) Andrew Nalepa – [email protected]

Skyline Counseling groups: 

• Grief group 
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (TRAILS group) 
• Real talk group
• Other groups counselors can talk to you about and get you into

Outside of school:

• Suicide hotline: text/call 988
• Sexual assault hotline: call 1-800-656-4673
• National Alliance on Mental Health Helpline: call 800-662-4357
• Teen line: call 800-852-8336