Warning: This article contains information about suicide which may be distressing for some readers.
“You know what would be better for Zack and I, if you went and killed yourself.”
Those were the words of a message sent to Bachelor star Alex Nation’s 13-year-old sister, Angie, on Tuesday night.
Angie has been bullied relentlessly for almost three years. She has high-functioning Aspergers, anxiety and depression, but despite the constant taunts, has been open and honest about her battle with her mental health.
But after receiving the message – on the same evening she returned home from a five-week stay with her grandparents, where she was able to log off social media and enjoy some much-needed respite – Angie locked herself in her room, threatening self harm.
Alex shared her little sister’s story on Instagram on Wednesday night, saying her sister’s struggle broke her “heart in pieces”.
“She pleaded with Lifeline to help make it stop, expressing that she simply didn’t want to be here anymore and she wanted to be with her dad (he passed away 4 years ago),” Alex wrote.
“‘I want to kill myself, I’m going to kill myself, please help’.
“Within minutes, an ambulance and police officers were at my mum’s house.”
LISTEN: After the death of Dolly Everett, Vikki Ryall from Headspace shares her advice on how parents can talk to their kids about mental health and suicide.
Alex shared that this isn’t the first time her sister – who she describes as “bright, funny, kind and caring”, who loves singing and has dreams of joining the army – has found herself in such a dark place.
“People need to know and understand that their words can be the catalyst for someone like my sister,” Alex wrote.
“It infuriates me and saddens me that with tragedies such as Dolly’s and having friends who have lost loved ones to suicide that this is still going on! It has to stop, it must!”
