SUFFOLK, Va — Community leaders in Suffolk are coming together to prevent more suicides.
On Saturday, 'Shatter The Silence', a suicide awareness initiative was held at Kings Fork High School.
For nine years the event has provided a platform for local organizations and youth to share resources and their stories. On Saturday, high school junior, Paris Mincer shared hers.
"I have thought about suicide for myself and I've dealt with depression and it's very hard for people to go through and it's very hard to talk about and be able to ask for help in any way shape or form," said Mincer.
Charlene Cutting, a certified peer recovery specialist with Western Tidewater Community Services Board told News 3 that the rate of suicide is rising.
"Suicide is the second leading cause of death for children 10 to 14 in Virginia," said Cuffing. "We're increasingly seeing the numbers go up, not down,"
Vonda Warren-Lilly with the organization added that in the Virginia, there were a little over 1,000 deaths by suicide in the state.
Warren-Lilly believes social media might be a factor.
"These kids are online so much and having to compare themselves to what they see on a camera on a telephone or by way of the social media platforms has really impacted them," said Warren-Lilly.
Mincer says screen time certainly did that to her.
"It played a really huge part of how I saw myself and how I perceived myself for a very very long time," explained Mincer. "But I now realize that that's not everybody's life and everybody's life doesn't need to look like that."
Mincer says it's always better to shatter the silence because it could save a life.
As a reminder, if you or a loved one is struggling with intrusive thoughts and could be contemplating suicide the number to call is 9-8-8, the suicide and crisis lifeline
