14 Year Old's Open Letter To The World (2 pics)

Every adult knows how its like to be a teenager. The vast majority of people survive. The problem is that there is a mental health crisis in the US. Suicide is now the 10th highest cause of death ahead of automobile accidents! Mental illness is still the skeleton in the family closet. We have walks for to raise funds for cancer treatment and research. Where are the walks to raise fund researching and treating mental illness?

Who cares? Who helped the young man in Goleta before he killed people? His parents were rebuffed by the authorities and he did not get the help he needed it when he needed.

We spend more money on guns than mental health and preventing suicides. I have 4 friends that committed suicide, three by guns. Screw the NRA.

I also had a hard time in school. I was very smart and fat, but I did get over it, when I became an adult. Sadly, most adults forget how hard life is for teenagers, and they become insensitive to the needs, insecurities and pressures of teenagers. Some teenagers simply can't take it and tragically decide to end their lives.

Sad, and preventable, if parents and teachers took the time to talk to kids more, and try to help, instead of just telling kids to "get over it".

parental guidance is very weak to this generation and this is why the next generation are going to suffer more

Because you know everything when you're 14.

God never ask you to take your life. Just a bunch of idiot teenager.

God doesn't exist, you moron - your argument is invalid.

May he rest in peace. Sadly, not everyone is strong enough to survive the pressure of growing up.

^I'll take #3's answer on this one.
I'm 46 with 4 kids (21, 20, 18 ,16), and we made a conscious choice when they were born that THEY were our top priority for the next 25 years....not our jobs, not having fun, not vacations, except insofar as it's about what's best for them. We're not their "best friends", we're their parents, and while every one of them agrees that we were stricter, tougher, and expected more of them as kids than their peers, they all (now) agree that's made them better people.
We've stayed together as a couple through some pretty rough times, again, because we both believe that the stability of our home is more important. Parents should be taken for granted by their children.
I'm not saying that we have the magic recipe for happiness, it hasn't always been fun. But we've seen lots of parents making incredibly selfish, short-sighted choices and it's depressing.

there is no easy answers to fix teenage suicide. But it gets better, all of us were there once and managed to survive it...you can too. Find away. Your death does NOT 'show the world' your pain. The reality of life is this: its tough out there, being stupid makes it tougher. not everyone makes it, sh*t happens, keep moving forward. Invest in your education, get a job and be your own person for your own reasons. Look for what brings you joy and pursue it to your dying days. it really is just that simple.

Jericho gets karma for 'knowing' that God does not exist. Interesting.