TO THE EDITOR:
Last weekend Priya Bapagopal, who was a UNC graduate, died by suicide.
I didn’t know her, and I can’t imagine what her family and friends must be going through right now, and I want to tell them I am so, so sorry for their loss. She seemed like a lovely person, and it’s unfair that such terrible things could happen to her or to anyone. I also want to extend a hand (so to speak) to anyone else dealing with mental illness.
To say it’s a serious issue does not do the reality justice. So few people have any idea what it’s like to deal with these things on a daily basis, and it can be really isolating and hard to talk about. I’ve struggled (and still do) with some of the same things Priya did, and I know how hard it can be to be in that kind of pain and to feel like no one understands or cares. So to anyone out there dealing with mental illness or other difficulties, anyone else out there who feels alone, who feels hopeless, I just want to tell you I care. What you’re going through is hard. There’s nothing wrong with you as a person, and you deserve love.
There are people out there, myself included, who know what you feel because we’ve felt it too. And if you’re considering suicide, I’m going to tell you not only that I care if you live, but that your struggle is valid and your life is important, and I hope that you could someday see that staying alive could mean something wonderful for you. To all of you, you aren’t alone. You have a friend in me and in many others who care. If you can, it helps to talk to a friend, family member, RA, or someone else who can listen — and if you don’t think you can do that for any reason, lifelines are there too. The National Lifeline is at 1-800-273-TALK and the Trevor Project has one at 1-866-488-7386 for LGBTQ folks, and they do listen. I’m sorry about all of this, friends, and I wish I could say more. No one should have to go through this alone.
Jordan Skinner
Sophomore
Astrophysics
