NOCTILUCA October 2017

OPINIONS Appleton, Wisconsin October 2017 Volume XXIII

Issue I Page 3

Noctiluca Editorial

Mental health: Deconstructing the stigma

Suicide prevention is not easy, nor is it an exact science. What is a helpful coping mech- anism for one person may not necessarily apply to the next. In the wake of a student taking their own life, some people find it tempting to point fingers and to say, “That is where things went wrong.” Hindsight is, as they say, 20/20. They might find it tempting to assign the blame to one specific person or group of people, to shake a vengeful fist in the air and curse an almighty power. Rightfully, they are upset and searching for someone or something to take Smooth, shiny, spotless sur- face. Reflecting the rays of the sun off its rose gold, polished back. Soothing in its grasp, mesmerizing in its capabili- ties, we are held spellbound by its power and greatness. Ad- dicting in its usage, we look to it to answer our every question and to connect us to those far from us. It is our news source, our entertainment source, the source of our enlightenment. As we charge our phones, we charge ourselves with it. It is so integral in our lives, we feel lost without our constant companion. For most of us, it is unimaginable to live even a day without it. Three weeks-- that would be a nightmare ago- nizing to even consider. It was one I not only had to consider, but to live through. I lived without my beloved iPhone for three weeks, and I kept waiting for that defining mo- ment with some angelic music in the background and a halo around my head when I real- ized that I didn’t need a phone in my everyday life. It didn’t happen. While I realized that I didn’t need my phone as much as I thought I did and learned a few valuable lessons from its absence, I largely learned to appreciate my beautiful, powerful phone. I have always been a firm believer in progress. While the elderly might fret over the lack of face- to-face commu- nication today and lament the amount of heads cradled over their phones, I have always be- lieved that the communication of our generation is just differ- ent, but not horrible. While the preoccupation of some with

the blame, for an explanation. Rarely do we get a satisfac- tory explanation, but there is a commonality between all suicides. The crushing reality is that we are ALL partially re- sponsible. We are partially re- sponsible because we passively participate in a society that sweeps mental health under the rug. We are partially responsi- ble because perhaps we saw the warning signs and dismissed them, thinking things weren’t really that serious, or perhaps that they were just joking. We are partially responsible be- cause we did not ask, so they social media is extreme, I have never felt that technology and social media are negative as- pects of our society. Commu- nication is communication, re- gardless of the media through which we communicate. I was engaged in this revo- lutionary method of commu- nication on my way to Door County on the final Sunday of summer break when I sud- denly lost service. I thought nothing of it, as we were in the midst of the vast Wiscon- sin wilderness. Distracted by the beautiful, clear water and the sun streaming through the green foliage, I continued sit- ting on the sand and soon re- gained service at the end of the day. A few days later, my phone was completely inca- pacitated just in time for the new school year. This meant that the first week of school, a time already worthy of tears without my pocket-sized su- percomputer was my inability to quickly search my every question. Although I still had access to my chromebook and other electronics, I realized I was so reliant on that instan- taneous access to any infor- mation. I also did not have a convenient distraction at my fingertips to use or check when there was nothing to do. Before class, I checked my email and found I had nothing else to do. I stared forlornly at others and their dear phone and burned with jealousy to- even with my dearest companion, was my first week with- out my phone. The first dis- advant age I noticed

never told. We are partially responsible for the suicides of our fellow students because prior to their deaths, we were irresponsible. We didn’t take the appropriate measures, we didn’t take them seriously. We are not asking for you to take individual blame in this, nor are we trying to make you to feel guilty. What we are ask- ing for, then, is for change. Change the little things. Show compassion and genuinely lis- ten after asking someone how they are doing. Honestly regard the difficult emotions inside and express them, even when ward them, and anger at Apple for what had been a very ex- pensive phone rendered to a mere piece of scrap metal. In retrospection however, I real- ize this gave me a great deal of time to contemplate other matters. I wasted less time and slept more without my be- loved rose gold box of beauty. My exercise level also dra- matically increased. With my phone, I merely had to call p e o p l e

it is tempting to bottle them up and hide them away. Seek help when you are feeling low, and reach out to your friends when you know they are. If you know they are feeling suicidal, tell an adult you trust--a teacher, a mentor, a parent. Utilize coping mechanisms and draw on your sources of strength. Depression and suicidal thoughts are chemical battles that cannot, and need not, be fought alone. It may sound cliché, but things can get bet- ter, and they will, if you reach out. There are more resources available now than ever before, others, but I also learned that with detailed planning, it was not absolutely necessary. By my third week, I made better plans, which resolved the is- sue. Thus, my first week with- out my phone was over. After speaking for hours with various Apple represen- tatives over the weekend, they confirmed what I had already known eons before: my phone was broken. This meant I had

thanks to the efforts of Apple- ton North High School’s staff to provide resources for sui- cidal and depressed students. They indicate a willingness to address the problem and to de- construct the stigma surround- ing mental illness. One block in a pyramid not yet at its pyramidion, North’s efforts to reduce suicide and treat mental illnesses do not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Here’s to a continuing process in helping students be wholly healthy. By the end of the week, I was excited to receive a new, working phone. We drove. We arrived. We were denied. I could not receive another phone and was to wait another week to receive one. My half- formed angel halo and new- found enlightenment imme- diately crumbled to pieces at my feet. Three weeks was too much. That third week was unbear- able. I bitterly swept through it, determined to post a bar- rage of horrid reviews. The one silver lining was that I had learned to deal with this great grievance and had relatively minimal troubles without my phone. I continued to talk to my newfound friends and to learn more about my cur- rent ones. The disconnection helped me think about issues that I would have been too distracted to contemplate. Yet, I missed my trusty CNN noti- fications and the flowing text messages. I missed the abil- ity to call anyone at will and google quick facts. I missed the ability to calculate quick problems rather that rummage through my backpack for a calculator. I was ready to have my phone back. I received my phone on the following Saturday at 9 a.m., a feat that the Apple representa- tives on the phone swore, for hours, was impossible. While I am glad to have my phone, I have found that my preoc- cupation with it has lessened somewhat. Upon inspection, I still have not found even the slightest trace of that angelic gold halo, but I now rest as- sured that the lack of a phone is not, by any means, apoca- lyptic.

By Salma Abdel-Azim Surviving three weeks without a life line

t o travel about an hour and a half to the Mayfair Mall t he following week to receive a new one and yet another gru- eling week without m y beautiful com- rade. My most valuable lesson was learned during my second week without my phone. To all those w ho know me, bless y our souls, because you all have experi- enced my lack of abil- ity to be silent. I always talk, often to the point of exhausting my vo- cal chords, so I decided

to employ that talkativeness to communicate with those around me. I learned new things about many people I had preconceived notions about and that everyone has an end- less supply of stories. I made new friends and learned more about my current ones. By the end of my second week, I had come to terms with the fact that while my quality of life without a phone paled to my life with one, I learned that life without a phone was not the impossible horror I thought it was.

to know where they were. I found myself running around the school like a headless chicken looking for people. Needless to say, my plans be- came much more descriptive. My level of fitness likely in- creased tenfold in just three weeks from searching for peo- ple from room to room, like a wide-eyed madwoman. Rather than running on a treadmill to lose weight, I would personal- ly recommend my method for faster, better results. I learned to appreciate my phone’s lightning speed connection to