Arlana Miller

By Perry Robinson

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The Southern University family is still mourning after unexpectedly losing one of its own.

#ArlanaMiller was a cheerleader at Southern and died by #suicide last week. Miller was just days away from completing her freshman year. Miller’s former teammates held a balloon release in her honor on Thursday, May 12.

RELATED: Bastrop father of Southern cheerleader speaks out after #suicide

“It’s just absolutely shocking. It’s just somebody you would never guess,” MyKayla Reid said.

In an extensive note posted to #Instagram before she died, Miller detailed her struggles with #mentalhealth.

Her passing has since sparked conversations around #mentalhealth and the resources that are available for #students.

“She would always check up on me asking me if I’m ok, and I think that’s why I feel a little guilty is because I wish I would’ve done that more for her,” Reid said.

Medical professionals at Southern say a lot of young #adults today are facing similar issues.

“The three top concerns #collegestudents present to their counseling centers are #anxiety, #depression and #stress,” Dr. Valaray Irvin said.

Dr. Irvin is a licensed #psychologist and the Director of the Counseling Center at SU. She says the #pandemic compounded those problems, and social media has made things even worse.

“Especially among young #women I work with, the comparison they put themselves through because of what they see in the media, which is probably half the truth, but they don’t think it’s half the truth,” Irvin said.

Dr. Irvin says the counseling center on Southern’s campus treats more than 300 #students a semester, but they feel they can reach more.

Now that telehealth has become an option, Irvin feels they can make that happen.

“We did see some of our numbers increase because it gave #students a sense of anonymity, and so they weren’t concerned about walking through the door and who might see them. They can be anywhere and just log on to a platform and we can serve them,” Irvin said.

As friends of Alana prepare to say their final goodbyes, there’s one thing they will always remember.

Miller’s final request asked people to vocalize their feelings and check on your friends.

“At the end of the day you have no idea what people are going through behind closed doors,” Miller said.

#James Donaldson notes:Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticleOrder your copy of James Donaldson's latest book,#CelebratingYourGiftofLife:From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy

http://www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com

The #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline is 800-273-8255. For resources available at Southern University click here, and for LSU click here.

Southern University officials are planning a second memorial in honor of Miller at the start of the Fall 2022 semester.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=10246