A Personal Request

[Gabriel]

My deepest sympathies Carolyn.

When I first read this thread I had a lot on my mind, but now I find I have very little to say. I will try to keep this relevant.

I spent about six months last year in a state of severe depression and I attempted to commit suicide several times. I honestly don't know how serious I was, but I got pretty close once. My FIRST team was nice, but not particularly supportive and it became very clear that my team leader had completely lost faith in me. At the time I was doing programming as well as strategy/scouting and in Houston he limited my responsibillities and then undermined me in front of other teams. I was crushed, since at the time that was the only thing I really considered myself good at or particularly cared about. Most of my friends distanced themselves from me and after getting fed up with my erratic behavior, my school essentially kicked me out.

I only say all of this so that I can offer one bit of advice. Suicide and depression seem to be epidemic among teenagers. I don't know why that is, but chances are that at some point in time each of us will find that someone we care about is depressed or suicidal. No matter what happens, stick by your friends, family members, students, whoever. Even if they are being a jerk, stick with them and don't trust your assumptions about their behavior. Always remember that there's a reason you liked and respected them in the first place and you might just be the only person they have.

~Gabe