The month of September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and every year on September 10th, the world observes Suicide Prevention Day with efforts to raise awareness that suicide can be prevented.

More often than I should, I think about this moment in high school when my friend confided in me that they were missing from school because they tried to kill themself. For about two weeks up until this point, I assumed they were skipping school or had caught the flu, but this entire time they were recovering. A friend I saw and talked to every day for four years. For days after their confession, I repeatedly kept replaying our conversation over in my head and asking myself "how?" How did this happen? How did I not know something was wrong? How do I prevent something like this from ever happening again?

The National Institute of Mental Health reported that suicidal thoughts or actions will vary depending on several factors such as age, gender, physical and mental well-being, and individual experiences. My friend was physically present, but internally they were suffering. According to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, there are five evidence-based action steps (also known as SAFE-Tfor Suicide Assessment Five-step Evaluation and Triage) that help provide a guideline for helping someone in a crisis.

It's important to remember that educating the community by raising awareness, offering public resources for assistance, and deconstructing the stigma and misconceptions behind suicide helps progress towards prevention. Raising awareness for suicide prevention should be year-round. Someone you know may be going through it and with the help of these probable identifications, you could prevent someone from dying by suicide. Almost every 40 seconds someone dies by suicide. Whether it is a friend, family member, or self-realization, there is always support available.