MHM “Talking About It Makes It Worse”

🧠 The Myth:

“If we talk about suicide or mental health struggles, it just puts ideas in people’s heads. It makes things worse.”

🚫 The Truth:

Talking about mental health saves lives. Let me say that again, open conversations prevent crises. Avoiding these topics out of fear only adds to the stigma and isolation people already feel.

At Solera Behavioral Health, we work with teens every day who’ve been told to “stay strong,” “keep it to themselves,” or “just push through.” But silence doesn’t build strength it truly just builds walls.

✅ Here’s what actually helps:

• Asking someone directly if they’re okay (or even if they’re thinking about suicide) doesn’t make them more likely to act, it gives them permission to speak.

• Listening without judgment is often the first step toward healing.

• Safety planning and support can’t happen if no one knows what’s going on.

💬 Real Talk:

When I started Solera, it was because I saw too many youth suffering quietly, especially in places where mental health still feels like a taboo topic, when everybody struggles. That has to change, and it starts with us normalizing the hard, and uncomfortable conversations.

We don’t lose people because we talk about suicide. We lose them because we don’t talk about it soon enough.

📢 What You Can Do:

• Ask your friends how they’re really doing.

• Share resources from our site like 988, MySafetyPlan.org, or your local crisis center.

• Use your voice even, if it shakes.

🛑 Let’s bust the myth that silence is safe.

🟢 Talking is strength.

Reaching out is courage.

And healing begins with honesty.