According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people. This statistic, and the fact that it even exists is heartbreaking.

September 10th, 2016 was observed as World Suicide Prevention Day but this is an issue that we should observe every day until the statistics surrounding suicide cease to exist.

There are stigma's surrounding suicide that we as a society need to work together to debunk.

"People who attempt suicide, but fail, are just seeking attention."

"Suicide is just taking the easy way out."

"People who commit suicide are selfish."

These are just a few negative stereotypes that I have heard and are also completely false. We need to understand that suicidal thoughts are an extremely serious issue. We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with hate, pressure and stress coming from varying sources.

I'm not writing this article to advocate for a 'perfect' life because I know that that is unobtainable. Life is hard, life is challenging and all the other clichés about life being difficult are true. As humans, we will never not have to face hardships through the course of our journey, but as humans, we can help each other understand that life's adversities are okay and we will get through them.

I am writing this article to emphasize the importance of recognizing that suicide is a real issue in our world. The fact that suicide is a leading cause of death, should be enough for us to accept that this is an issue that we can no longer avoid...

But we still avoid it, and sometimes it's too late.

I'm not sure if people avoid it because it's tragic and grievous, or if people don't recognize the symptoms, or if we just aren't taking it serious enough. No matter what the reason is, we need to change it.

To the people who think that suicidal thoughts are 'made up in one's mind;' You are nothing but wrong. It is not a natural tendency as a living being, to wish that you were dead. To the people who are convinced that people who commit suicide are 'selfish,' you are ignorant. Mental illness is a sickness that convinces your mind that you are not loved, that you are not good enough and you don't deserve to bless society with your presence. Suicidal thoughts convince you that nobody cares, even if you are surrounded by people who love you more than anything else in the world.

Mental illness is a strong demon that is difficult to deal with, but you can defeat it. The first step in beating mental illness is to acknowledge that it exists and is becoming increasingly prevalent.

We need to talk about it.

We need to help each other.

And when we are able to recognize that suicide is a real issue, it is then that we can begin to work together to eliminate it.

To join the movement visit: http://www.projectsemicolon.org/