BARTOW, Fla. — She might be a little shy, but Jasmine Burden says she's a creative soul.
"I’d say that I’m very like kept to myself most of the time. I'm really introverted. I’m in the marching band at school and I like to draw and stuff like that," Burden said.
She's always like school, but as she grew up and her body started to change, her feelings did too.
"Once I hit around 8th grade I guess the puberty set in and my hormones got out of whack. I didn’t know what to do with myself," Burden said.
She felt like she didn't fit in. Her feelings of depression and anxiety grew to the point Burden tried to kill herself.
"Kids will just look at me and they’ll say their nice choice of names about me being big. That used to really bother me. I didn’t look like everyone else I didn’t act like everyone else so hey why am I even here," Burden said.
Burden knows she isn't the only one that's thought of taking her life at the young age of 16. Studies show that teen suicide rates in the U.S. have more than tripled over the last few years. That's why Jasmine is asking for a change in her community.
"I want trained mental health school counselors on every Polk school campus. I also want like first aid kits in bathrooms. Having a tourniquet and bandage could be the difference between them saving someone’s life and them bleeding out on the floor," Burden said.
She made a petition after she said a student at Bartow High School tried to commit suicide. The Polk County School District said they agree and will ask lawmakers for enough money to put a mental health counselor in each school.
"I want them to know that it gets better it definitely gets better and I’m sitting here today as an example of that," Burden said.
If you have suicidal thoughts, contact the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay at 211 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255.
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