In the second semester of his freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania, Jack Park felt his depression pulling him downward.
He sought counseling on campus. After he failed to schedule a follow-up visit, “I got gradually worse and suicidal,” says Park, 26. Friends — he does not blame them — were too busy to notice. “I felt like I had nobody to talk to,” he says.
But connecting with help doesn’t rely solely on the person in crisis reaching out, say experts in the field of suicide prevention who spoke with PEOPLE to help mark the launch of Let’s Talk About It, a year-long initiative through which PEOPLE encourages conversations about mental health through stories about ordinary people and celebrities who have dealt with mental illness.
For the full story, visit People.com/Health.
