My name is Isabel Lagdameo and I’m a high school student at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, New York. I’ve always been interested in understanding individual differences and I’m fascinated by the fact that people can experience very similar life circumstances but respond in very different ways. I became interested in the notion that, although many people experience risk factors for suicide, only a subset of these individuals engage in suicidal behaviors. This led me on a mission to understand why people die by suicide. 

Through my research, I came to see that suicide is a complex phenomenon and there is no one, simple answer to this question. I discovered that, although we can’t always understand why people die by suicide, we can reduce the number of people who die by suicide by fighting against stigma, raising awareness, and connecting people to resources and evidece-based care. I created this website to encourage the end of suicide silence by talking about how to recognize when someone is struggling and what to do about it. I am hopeful that by discussing these issues openly and without shame, we can encourage those who are struggling to reach out for help, and ultimately, go on to experience meaningful and fulfilling lives.