When you hear Matt Ryan on the radio, you hear a man full of energy and enthusiasm., a man who embraces life to the fullest. You would never think that when he was 15 years old, he considered ending that life and was saved by a girl who heard something and said something.

Ryan, who does afternoons on our sister station 94.3 The Point and once hosted the Saturday night '80s show on New Jersey 101.5, came on my New Jersey 101.5 show and told his story of a "dark depression" so bad that he decided to take his own life.

You can hear him talk about it in this podcast.

It turns out Ryan suffered from a chemical imbalance which he did not know at the time.

"Not knowing why you feel a certain way is a scary scary thing," Ryan said when he called into my show.

Though it's been treated with medication and therapy, Ryan struggles to this day.

"Some people it's a phase or something that they get through or for some it's a lifelong process." Ryan deals with it by using "things that aren't medicine related, staying healthy and exercising it really does help."

New Jersey 101,5 is doing a Town Hall on youth suicide, this Thursday night, September 19 at 7 P.M.

Ryan, who has been involved with and raises money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, says we need to talk about suicide.

"If we don't have a dialogue going on, we're not going to back down the stigma and we're not going to find advances and ways to make people feel better."

Ryan says we need to talk about suicide.

"The more open we are about it, the more the dialogue will come out organically, then things will start to change for the better."

Youth suicide is extremely important to Matt, who sits on the board for Ocean Mental Health.

"I really want to try to do my best in my lifetime have the topic of depression talked about just as if somebody were to let you know that they have high blood pressure."

What advice would Ryan give to someone contemplating taking their life?

"It's a permanent solution to a temporary problem. The first thing you should do is talk to someone that you trust because you're not alone and that is key. it doesn't have to be a family member, it could be a friend, someone at school, a priest or the National Suicide Hotline. There's nothing to be ashamed of in feeling the way you do."

"Most importantly, you're here for a reason, and if you're not here, this planet this world that we're in is not going to be as great as it is if you're not here and I mean that sincerely."

Finally, Ryan said,

"Keep in mind that while you may be a very dark place and suffering, the suffering that you would leave behind by taking your own life is so damaging, think about the people that you would hurt if you were no longer here because they want you here."

"Just get to somebody and talk it out because I really think that could go a long way to at least getting on the right track to feeling better and finding out what's going on because there's help available everywhere."

The number for the National Suicide Hotline is 800-273-8255.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise. Any opinions expressed are Steve's own. Steve Trevelise is on New Jersey 101.5 Monday-Thursday from 7pm-11pm. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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