KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Disclaimer: This story mentions thoughts of suicide. It may be upsetting to some viewers. If you are struggling, there is help available. Here's a list of mental health resources in East Tennessee.
Arriane Witt spent a lot of time by herself during her childhood in Sevierville.
"It was a really helpless time for me. I wasn't there," she recalled. "The loss of friends was really very sudden. It happened a lot."
Feeling isolated and alone, she made a drastic decision to end her pain.
"It just drove me to that edge," she said. "It ended up just taking over me, and my initial plan was to hang myself. That was the plan."
But fear stopped her in her tracks, and she never told anyone until a routine physical exam.
"They gave me a form, and on the form it had questions about depression," Witt said. "I marked them all '10', all the time thoughts like that."
Her doctor quickly referred her to a therapist who revealed Arriane's plans to her devastated mother.
"At the end of the session, he called me in and he said, 'You need to know that this is what your daughter is planning, and she wrote out the letter. She planned it.' And that was my moment. That was my moment," Julie Witt cried. "I honestly thought that she was just going through typical stuff her that kids go through at her age."
The 2022 Knox County High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey finds nearly half of female students said they feel sad or hopeless. 28% of male students reported feeling the same. 9% of those surveyed said they attempted suicide during the past 12 months.
"Anxiety is probably the most prevalent thing I see come into my office, especially among young girls," social-emotional learning coach Amanda Tunnell said.
Tunnell left teaching after years in the classroom to start Empowered Mind, LLC.
The alternative therapy equips tweens and teens, like Arriane, with the tools to handle life's big transitions.
"This gives them a space and a place to normalize what they're going through and normalize the feelings that they're having, and then develop healthy and effective ways to manage the distress," Tunnell said.
After a year of working with Tunnell, Arriane is now trying new hobbies and learning how to communicate with her peers and navigate conflicts.
"Her self-esteem has skyrocketed because of that," Julie Witt said. "What she couldn't do before, she can do now."
East Tennessee girl opens up about struggle with suicidal thoughts
Arriane and her mother want others to know asking for help could save a life.
"I feel like I'm standing on my own two feet," Arriane smiled. "I can see now why I chose to live."
Tunnell is offering a $10 workshop on Friday, Aug. 25th from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for parents to talk about social media, money and your child's self-worth.
Click here for details.