“If they ever find out that I’m Fanatic, I’m gonna go out guns blazing, he said. And if I die, I want you to kill yourself too.”
The two main characters in Fanatic were psychos. Like, literally psychos. One was a stalker, and the other was a serial killer. And although one might misunderstand them for who they are, they were both lonely souls screaming for help.
Raina, who was described in the book as “ugly as fuck”, was all she had. Her parents died when she was young, and she didn’t have many friends or romantic prospects because of her appearance. And although Roo was a popular college jock, it wasn’t always that way for him. Roo suffered from being bullied in his early years and had a bone to pick with anyone who was considered a bully to others.
Because Raina couldn’t get the attention of the men she admired, she stalked them. Her newest victim was Roo, and she had fallen hard for him. Because Roo wasn’t used to someone loving him for who he truly was, he began to fall for her despite her looks and her stalking tendencies. Match made in Heaven, right?
Well, kinda. See, both Raina and Roo had many risk factors for suicidal behaviors. Some of these factors included participating in self destructive behavior, having a mood and/or personality disorder, loss of parents or loved ones, social isolation, problems tied to relationships, and honestly, the list goes on.
However, the love they developed for each other turned out to be the biggest protective factor they had against suicide and homicide as well. Because they loved each other so much, they wanted to live, even if it was just for each other.
September is Suicide Prevention Month. Take this time to truly strengthen the bonds and relationships you have with those in your life because you never truly know what people are going through. Positive relationships with those around you can be the biggest protective factor against suicide because these relationships provide connectedness and support for someone who may be feeling lonely, isolated, or hopeless.
If you or anyone you know may be having suicidal thoughts, please seek help immediately. Here are some resources you can use today:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Crisis Text Line
Text TALK to 741-741 to text with a trained crisis counselor from the crisis text line for free, 24/7