Virginia

As we sat on the benches outside of the restaurant, Virginia fiddled with her purse. Her bright eyes masking the pain she experienced only a few months ago.

She remembers being severely depressed from the age of five, wondering even then how she could end her life. Throughout elementary school and high school, she cut herself on her hips so no one could see. She saw many doctors and after each medication change, she kept the nearly-full pill bottles in what she called her "teen angst drawer."

This past Christmas was especially difficult for her, as unexpected family turmoil reached a peak, leaving her feeling helpless and overwhelmed. On New Years Eve, she attempted suicide by taking all of her prescribed medication that was in her bag. As she lay down alone, tears silently rolling down her cheeks, she realized that she didn't want to die lying on someone else's bed, feeling like a coward. She reached out and called one of her closest friends, telling him that she "did something really bad" and asked him to come to her. At the hospital, she was immediately Baker Acted. Blood work and EKGs were performed to ensure her physical stability as she contemplated her psychological state.

"I had a lot of time to think while I was hospitalized," she says thoughtfully. "I always felt like the worst person ever, but as more people found out about what happened, it was amazing how many people cared."

"The more I talk about it, the more I realize that I'm not the only one. And if they can make it through, so can I," she states, determined and smiling. "Sure, it's always in the back of my mind, but it's just a matter of thinking about something else. Realizing that it's not worth it. I just have to take life one step at a time."