I do not know what it is like to want to take my own life. I have never thought that being dead is better off than taking another breath. But there are a lot of people that do. There are a lot of people that struggle every single day of their life wondering when it all will end. Yet people still flinch at the sound of the word suicide because it is something that shall not be discussed. This has to change before we can help those and change the terrifying statistics.

Most people can only imagine the suffering that comes after suicide and the hurting that is left in its wake. When a young person decides to end their life, the devastation is so great. But the public remains disturbingly unaware of how often people are attempting or committing suicide. This is because there is very little to no public health policy on suicide. This is mainly because society does not want to talk about both suicide and mental illness. This is left to make most believe that we do not know much about suicide but the statistics can speak for themselves.

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 117 commit suicide every day. For every suicide, there are 25 attempts. Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for ages 10-24.More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, COMBINED.

We know a lot about suicide, but not nearly enough. And what we do know is not being talked about as much as it should be. We need to generate more public awareness of how common suicide really is and make the symptoms of and treatments for depression more easily accessed. Families, schools, churches, teachers, and friends all need to learn more and do more in order to get a grasp on how to help those in need. Because if we do not, we are going to lose more of those we love the most.

September is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness month. Reach out to those that have been affected by suicide, raise awareness, and connect with people who have ideas to help others. But do not stop doing this once September ends. Addressing these issues year round are extremely important. Keep fighting the fight not only for those who have lost, but those that can still be helped.

And to those who are suffering from depression or have contemplated suicide, please remember, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Suicide doesn’t end the chances of life getting worse, it eliminates the possibility of it ever getting any better.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-8255