Suicide prevention week was marked by an assembly at Beverly Hills High School to raise awareness of suicide and mental health issues among teens. The Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation placed backpacks on the school lawn containing stories of those lost to suicide to memorialize victims. Speakers from the foundation and the i'mPossible project discussed the importance of seeking help from hotlines, counselors, friends, and family for mental health issues like depression. A foundation contributor shared her family's experience with mental illness and the toll it can take. Students discussed the need to address isolation, changes in behavior, and the misconception that depression is something to joke about or only for attention-seeking.

1. Suicide prevention week
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among children ages 11-24 in the United States.
Beverly Hills High School held an assembly last Friday to raise awareness of suicide and mental
health among teens and adults. The Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation and Joshua
Rivedal, the creator of the i’mPossible project, both made appearances.
The Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation scattered backpacks along the front lawn of
BHHS and attached one or two paged stories of children and adults who lost their lives to
suicide. This foundation formed after the creator’s son, Matthew, committed suicide when he was
17. This movement touched many of the students who have gone through mental health,
depression, or suicide attempts.
Sophomore Sophia Moore wished “it wasn't necessary to do this because suicide shouldn't be
such a big problem among teens,” she said.
Moore, as an outed lesbian, was “beat up and abused for being gay and found someone to talk
too,” she said. She got help from “counselors and a hotline, even though those are joked about,”
Moore said “they really do help.”
The i’mPossible project “is a non-profit media company designed to Entertain, Educate, and
Engage on Suicide Prevention, Mental Health, Storytelling, and Diversity,” according to their
website.
Joshua Rivedal explained that mental disease can be major, chronic, manic and sometimes the
smallest thing in someone's life. However, in his eyes, it “tore me apart”. Help can be found at
hotlines, friends, family, school counselors, and therapy.
Mandy Ano, a worker and contributor to the Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation feels very
honored to be apart of this foundation. She shared her personal experiences.
“There are those who give so much and focus on other people are depleting themselves. So it is
just slowing down a little bit and paying attention and just taking care with every step that you
take,” Ano said. “Growing up, my family saw the end result of the illnesses which is more of the
self medicating side of the roller coaster.”
Many people aren’t aware of the signs of depression because they never had information about it.
However, for some students, it connected with them on a personal level.
Senior Skylar Derrick has experienced mental depression first hand. He believes that isolation is
one of the most common actions people take when they are going through something.

2. “Usually people, when they’re depressed, they like to isolate and keep things to themselves,”
Derrick said. “and seeing all of the bags on the front lawn really didn’t make me want to be
there.”
Anxiety, stress, sleep deprivation or even a change in eating habits aren't signs of depression, and
they can be perceived as slacking. This could potentially result in a self diagnosed depressive
state.
Depression and mental illness is often laughed about and thought as only something people do to
get attention.
“It’s very difficult to see someone you care about sad or struggle with getting up in the morning
or lose interest in something they usually love, but to lose someone to it is just beyond my
comprehension,” Ano said.