The Woodlands mom urges parents to recognize signs of teen suicide

The Woodlands - As we wrap up suicide awareness month today, it's important to make sure that the teenagers in our lives are "really" okay. More than 5,200 teens attempt to take their life every single day. A family in The Woodlands lost their beloved daughter to suicide last month. Her brave mom is now speaking out, offering five important words of advice about helping prevent sorrowful suicide.

Sophia Lucario: a beloved daughter, sister, and friend who adored sunsets, rainbows, butterflies, and writing poetry. "I want people to know how deeply she loved. You will see people say 'love like Lu,' that was started by her volleyball team because she just had such a contagious personality. She just was so full of excitement and so full of love, and she really wanted everybody to really just get along, and she loved her friends more than anything," says Cassandra, Sophia's mother.

MORE FROM MELISSA: Houston family solves health mystery with help from mold-sniffing dog

Sophia's grieving mother is sharing her story to help other families see the warning signs. She was only 18 when she recently took her life. Her first advice:  make sure you realize that medical problems can easily lead to mental health struggles. Sophia was diagnosed with Lyme Disease years ago. The National Institutes of Health reports that Lyme can lead to heartbreaking conditions associated with borderline personality disorder, which Sophia was recently diagnosed with. The NIH warns that Lyme disease can also lead to a nervous system disorder called dysautonomia. She had that too, along with a weakened immune system that led to constant bouts of mono, the flu, and COVID.  

"She told me she was sure that her Lyme had come back. She was having a lot of similar symptoms. She would wake up at two in the morning with just a pounding headache in tears. She said she felt like somebody was hammering her head in the middle of the night. She did tell me, probably about three or four months ago, 'Mom, I'm really sick, and I can tell you right now, I feel like I am going to die.' She was feeling that sick, and we tried to get her into specialists. We took her to the ER. For some reason, she knew she was sick, but she did not want treatment," explains Cassandra.

SUGGESTED: Child cancer patients take care of their teddy bears at MD Anderson Cancer Center

Her loving mom now advises parents to consider reaching out to a mental health expert early on at the first signs of depression. "I thought the last four or five months of her life were butter, but it wasn't until I really started digging deeper, that I realized it wasn't better. She was masking it," states Cassandra. Sophia was far from alone! She had countless, loving friends and a loving supportive family, so her mom wants you to know, that's not always enough, when it comes to declining mental health. "She loved everybody so much more than she loved herself and it's heartbreaking," says her loving mom.

Sophia posted a lot on social media about her mental health and talked to her friends about her deep depression, but not as often with her family. Cassandra now encourages parents to dig deeper to make sure their kids are okay. She also hopes that teens will talk to an adult if they fear a friend is struggling. "The most important thing I think we can do for our kiddos is obviously, check on them, find out the language to use, the terms to use, check on them. Make sure the teachers and the faculty at school understand to check on them. I also think a very important message to everyone is, if you have a friend that you are really concerned about, you need to tell somebody -- it doesn't have to be a parent, it doesn't have to be a teacher, it can be a coach, it can be their parent. I know that Sophia's friends did that, and I know they reached out to me, but I think Sophia hid it from me so well, that it was too late for me to see it," says Sophia's grieving mother.

SUGGESTED: After losing parents, Texas woman offers guidance to help others cope with grief

Cassandra is relieved to see hundreds of Sophia's friends joining her effort to raise awareness about teen mental health. "To see everybody come together for her, honestly, has been amazing! I know she's she's looking down and she's smiling and she's thinking to herself, Wow, I was loved," says Cassandra. She wants everyone to realize that suicide is devastating for loved ones left behind, so seek help if you're hurting, your loss will absolutely crush others. Suicide is a permanent solution for temporary problems.

Students at The Woodlands College Park High School sure know that, as they grieve the loss of their Sophia. Students purpled out their football game Friday night, wrapping up suicide awareness month in Sophia's honor, loving her, missing her, and working to spread the message that you are never alone. If you're suffering, please seek help. Resources are readily available. You can text or call 988, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if you're in a mental health crisis.

For more information:

https://namitexas.org/your-journey/kids-teens-and-young-adults/youth-mental-health-resource
https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/can-lyme-disease-change-your-personality/#:~:text=Both%20patients%20and%20loved%20ones,%2Dcompulsive%20disorder%20(OCD).