It is no surprise that with all the bad things happening in the world, depression rates are increasing. Almost 20% of adults in the US have experienced depression disorder in the last year. I know there are countless things affecting my mental health right now. With the global rise in suicide deaths, could a letter save a life?
Reasons to Stay is a suicide prevention project aimed at reaching people during the difficult moments in their lives, those who may be contemplating suicide, and offering them hopeful messages.
The website was created by UK activist Ben West. In 2018, when he was just 17 years old, Ben lost his younger brother Sam to suicide. He turned his grief and pain into fuel, campaigning for “mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and changing how we approach mental health, especially in schools and the education system”.
He has also published a book in 2022 titled This Book Could Save Your Life – Breaking the Silence Around the Mental Health Emergency, where he shares his personal experiences with his brother’s death, dealing with grief, and how to support those in your life who may be struggling.
Ben describes the Reasons to Stay website as “a little corner of the internet where people who are in Sam’s position, that are feeling low or feeling disconnected and potentially suicidal, can go and read a letter from a stranger”. On average, there are over 7,000 suicide deaths in the UK and 50,000 in the US annually. Ben has expressed the importance of this project, even if it only saves one life.
Upon visiting the site, users are greeted with the message “This letter was written by someone in the world who cares”. Below is a letter, written by a volunteer and checked by clinical professionals before being posted on the site. At the bottom of the letter is a button users can use to read another one. Additionally, the site has links to suicide prevention resources.
The project was launched last month, on the 8th anniversary of Sam’s death, and in just two weeks, almost 48,000 letters have been submitted and delivered to over 965,000 site visitors. I can’t wait to watch those numbers keep growing as more people interact with the project.
I implore you to check out the site and submit a letter if you’re feeling up to it. Sometimes all we need is to be reminded to keep going, that things can always get better, and that we matter.
