CHARLOTTE -- Two days after a mother alledgedly kills herself and two children, a Charlotte woman is calling for mental health awareness.

Fonda Bryant is a board member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Charlotte.

She attempted suicide in the nineties. She said when people are depressed and have a mental illness they become unrecognizable.

What caused Christina Treadway to do what she did isn't exactly clear but the children's father tells Spectrum News that she recently told him she had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Bryant said she never thought about killing other people but said mental illness has that capability.

“They'll say you're selfish and how can you do that. People don't really realize the pain that we feel. We don't want to die but we want that pain to go away,” Bryant said.

Some of the warning signs for suicide include people who talk about feeling hopess, feel trapped, feel they are a burden to others and act anxious or agitated. For a full list of warning signs visit here.

If you are considering suicide call the 24/7 Suicide Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.