Depression isn't always glaringly obvious. We can't come rushing in with the police every time someone in our life with depression has a bad day, although it would certainly make us feel better. Everyone is different, and it can be hard to tell when you need to step in. Depression and suicide are a package deal, and they are causing a massive global health crisis. The statistics are scary for the United States, and the world as a whole.

In the world, one million people die per year from suicide--that's one suicide every 40 seconds.

In the United States, 42,773 people die annually by suicide, which comes to an average of 94 suicides per day. Of these suicides, 1,000 of these are college students.

In South Dakota, suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 15-34, and the fourth leading cause of death for ages 10-14.

Do I have your attention now?

First thing's first: this is nothing to be ashamed of. I've seen so many people indirectly asking for help because they are embarrassed of their feelings. If you've had someone in your life take their own life, you are not to be ashamed of them.

There is a stigma surrounding this issue, and it's mostly contributed to ignorance. There is not enough education about this issue, so I do not blame these people for their lack of knowledge. People do not choose to be depressed. Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain or abnormal activity of neural circuits. People that take their own lives are not in any way weak or a coward. They were suffering and miserable, and had no idea what else to do. Don't judge someone for something that affects their brain, you wouldn't blame an epileptic for having seizures, would you?

Suicide is preventable. There are multiple warning signsthat someone you know is contemplating taking their life, you just have to know what they are. The common signs consist of: talking about suicide, talking about death a lot, no hope, self-loathing, getting affairs in order, saying goodbye, being withdrawn, self-destructive behavior, and a sudden sense of calm.

Say something. To put it simply, would you rather have a mad friend or a dead friend? There are countless cases where a friend or family member didn't try to stop someone from taking their own life out of fear that the person would be mad at them. If you have genuine concern about someone, tell an adult or call the police, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Its not a joke. People everywhere say "Kill me," "I want to die, "I might as well just kill myself now". We throw around these inconsiderate phrases all of the time. It's hard not to, since it's basically everywhere. But these words have a magnitude of truth and meaning, and we forget that there are people who actually feel this way.

Educate yourself. Don't wait for something bad to happen before you look into these issues. There are multiple websites that can tell you everything you need to know.