Teen suicide survivor wants parents to know the warning signs

By TARA JEFFREY, The Observer

Updated 7 days ago

I wish I'd known an Emily McLachlin when I was in high school.

The 18-year-old senior at St. Pat's has a story worth listening to, particularly if you're today's teenager, just trying to survive adolescence unscathed — which is no small feat. Looking back, I recall being awkward, anxious, nervous, insecure, or all of the above, on any given day. Peer pressure, bullying, who you're friends with, being part of the 'cool crowd' and even what not to wear, may seem like minor bumps in the road now, but when you're young, nothing else matters. To quote one of my favourite songs, "... you've got so much going for you, going right. But I know, at 17, it's hard to see past Friday night."

For Emily, those unsettling and overwhelming teenage feelings started around Grade 7. Something just didn't feel right. She was sad, angry, and exhausted. She started counselling, and her condition was repeatedly linked to her parents' divorce, but Emily knew it was more than that. She wasn't just sporting a bad attitude; she was fighting the disease of mental illness. By the time she hit high school, things got even worse. The constant teasing from other girls was wearing her down, and finally, in Grade 10, Emily tried to kill herself.
"Your mind is so disheveled, that it just doesn't seem real," she recalls.
She eventually switched schools, was referred to a psychiatrist, and began taking medication for depression.
She hadn't told anyone about her suicide attempt, but then, after a well-known student took his life last year, Emily felt compelled to speak out. "It's just so hard to sit back when there is so much happening," said the 18-year-old, who is now speaking to peer and parent groups about her journey through mental illness, the warning signs, the stigma, and ultimately, the light at the end of the tunnel.
She's designed her own power point presentation on the issue, and this month, she'll speak at two events hosted by the Sarnia Lambton Suicide Prevention Committee, geared towards parents and health professionals.
"The thing I hear the most from other teens is that 'people just don't care,' or that they don't know where to go,'" she said, noting that she encourages other students to seek help, providing a list of various community agencies.
"I tell them, there are people out there who care."
This week, Ottawa City Coun. Allan Hubley wrote about the suicide death of his 15-year-old son, Jamie. The openly gay, and constantly bullied teen had tried to start a Rainbow Club at his high school to promote acceptance of others, but the posters were torn down and he was called vicious names in the hallways and online.
Like Emily, he had been receiving professional and medical care for depression.
"[But] something in his mind kept taking him to a dark place where he could not see the positive side of life, which led him to this drastic and tragic decision," Hubley wrote.
It's too late for Jamie, but Emily's courageous story will no doubt help other teens find their way out of those dark days.
"More people struggle than you know," she said while speaking at a recent mental health rally at city hall. "But it's always worth the fight. You only have one life, and that's it."
Tara Jeffrey is a reporter at The Observer. Contact her at tjeffrey@theobserver.ca or Follow @ObserverTara on Twitter.