"A Schoolgirl's Emotional Address: The Heart-Wrenching Topic of My Father's Suicide"
16-year-old Evie Roodhouse speaks out against trivializing suicide at schools
Evie Roodhouse, a fan of scary movies, musicals, and Taylor Swift, has an issue that sets her apart from her peers. The high school student is troubled by the commonplace remarks about suicide at school.
"Comments like 'I'm going to kill myself if I have one more math test,' are shockingly frequent," Evie shared with me. "People don't realize the gravity of those words, treating depression as a trend some find amusing or cool."
Evie and her younger sister Ada tragically lost their father to suicide in 2018. A painful topic they rarely discuss openly, Evie is now set to break her silence in a forthcoming school assembly.
Ada, now eight, has faced her own frustrations with the casual disregard of suicide that she's encountered: "Evie gets people joking about it," Ada explains, "In my school, I just hear people complaining about their parents being away, especially their dads, especially on Father's Day. It's not the same."
Evie's decision to address this deeply personal subject in a room of her peers marks a courageous move. Such an assembly would undoubtedly be one of the most significant school presentations ever given.
On the eve of her assembly, I met with Evie, her mother Caroline, and sister Ada. "This is the first time I've openly discussed my personal experience," Evie confesses as we delve into the subject of her presentation, "My friends often respond with invasive questions, prying for details I'm not comfortable sharing, or they change the subject. I want people to learn how to talk about it, especially if they themselves are struggling."
Our conversation at the family dining table takes a somber turn, as it becomes apparent just how challenging it must have been for Caroline to explain her husband's death to her young children. "I didn't know Steve was going to take his own life," Caroline admits, "But a friend of mine connected me with Winston's Wish, a charity that advised honesty. Despite the discomfort, I'm grateful for that advice. It's meant we've always had an honest, trusting relationship."
Suicide rates in the UK have remained relatively consistent over the past two decades, with 7,055 deaths recorded in 2023, marking the highest rate since 1999. Men are three times more likely to take their lives, and without a warning or note, the Roodhouse family was left grappling with their loss.
Caroline describes this grief as "grief with a microphone," with the hardest challenge being her feelings of abandonment. "I wanted to talk to Steve," Caroline says, "But he's the one responsible for not being here. It's tiring. It's exhausting."
Eight-year-old Ada echoes her mother's sentiments, "You don't blame them for being sad, but you're also angry that they're not here."
"And that they didn't tell us they were struggling," Caroline adds. "They would act all happy and fine. It doesn't make sense, does it?"
Photographs show a loving husband and father, Steve Roodhouse, hugging his children close and taking pride in his girls. Evie attempts to express her feelings: "It's different when someone is taken away from you, rather than choosing to leave. They didn't want to be with us."
The following day, Evie approached the assembly with quiet resolve. watching from the audience, her mother Caroline felt protective but also "unbelievably proud." Evie's presentation included a thought-provoking animated film and highlighted her loss of her father to suicide in 2018 when she was nine.
She warned her peers, "When you hear someone joking about something that has completely changed your life, it can be incredibly hurtful." She also shared valuable advice on resources like school provisions and organizations such as Childline and the Samaritans.
Research published by the Mental Health Foundation found that one-third of young people accessed self-harm content online, making this year's Mental Health Awareness Week's theme of community particularly relevant. Evie's presentation resonated deeply with this theme.
She told her peers, "Unfortunately, those who don't talk about it, who keep their emotions hidden, are the ones we lose to suicide."
Headmaster Chris Edwards was proud of Evie's presentation, commenting, "I often speak about the young generation, and they don't get the praise they deserve. This assembly, which Evie led, is one of the most impressive things I've seen in my career. Not just because she addressed a difficult subject, but to do it to her peers is doubly impressive. I was also proud of the way the students reacted."
Addressing issues like suicide sensitivity and effectively can be challenging, but Evie's presentation served as a potent reminder of how we can overcome these challenges and create a safer, more open environment for discussing mental health.
Anyone struggling with emotional distress or thoughts of suicide can contact the Samaritans at 116 123 (UK) or [email protected] or their local Samaritans branch in the US (1-800-273-TALK).
- Evie Roodhouse, who lost her father to suicide in 2018, is addressing the trivialization of suicide in schools, aiming to educate her peers about the gravity of such comments and the importance of mental health.
- During a school assembly, Evie Roodhouse, a high school student, is set to speak about her personal experience with suicide and the impact it has had on her life, advocating for open discussions about mental health and resources like Childline and the Samaritans.
- As suicide rates remain high, particularly among men, educational institutions like Evie's school play a crucial role in promoting mental health awareness and sensitivity, with resources such as the Samaritans available to those in need.
