As my community mourns the death of one of my high school classmates, I think of the Emily Dickinson Poem, "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain." It's sad to see how many of this country's youth have "funerals" in their brains. The funeral I'm referring to is the depression that grips hold of too many of my generation.

There have been times where I've felt funerals in my brain.The funeral was for everything that I was before my depression started to take over. Unfortunately, mental illness is a prevalent problem today, and it is something we all need to take a little more seriously. Instead of offering help to those in pain, we shame them and tell them that they're overreacting or that nothing is actually wrong. We don't try to understand how others feel, we only tell them to be happy. That's probably the worst thing you could do, just because you deem their life as "good" and can't see the reason that they're depressed, it doesn't mean they don't have a right to be. Depression is caused by a multitude of factors, and as an outsider, you can't see them all.

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,

And Mourners to and fro

Kept treading -- treading -- till it seemed

That Sense was breaking through --

For every two homicides in this country, there are three suicides. That is not a statistic we should accept, nor is this: 14.8 of adults and 12.5 percent of adolescents struggle with depression. Depression is not just sadness, it's like being at war with your brain and wanting to lose. Clearly, we all realize that these statistics show that we are not okay. Everyone has their demons, whether it be depression, self harm, an eating disorder, drug abuse, anxiety, or something else. We are all in this life together, and it's not alright to shame another for their problems.

And when they all were seated,

A Service, like a Drum --

Kept beating -- beating - till I thought

My mind was going numb --

Mental illnesses affect your body mentally and physically. Depression leaves the sufferer's minds lonely, hopeless, and empty, and their bodies feeling either fatigued or restless. Sometimes depression even causes stomach pains that seem to be without a cause. This is an example of one way that depression can lead to eating disorders. Studies also show that eating disorders can lead to depression.

And then I heard them lift a Box

And creak across my Soul

With those same Boots of Lead, again,

Then Space -- began to toll,

Oftentimes people think that sufferers of depression are sad for no reason, and honestly that's how they feel too. I've battled with depression for many years and I remember getting angrier and angrier at myself because I felt like I didn't deserve to feel sad. Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain, and it doesn't take much for it to get out of control. There are biological, genetic, environmental, and physiological factors that lead to depression.

As all the Heavens were a Bell,

And Being, but an Ear,

And I, and Silence, some strange Race,

Wrecked, solitary, here --

Not everyone who is depressed is affected in the same way, and there's not one treatment that works for everyone. Not everyone shows the same symptoms of depression, and oftentimes it can be difficult to spot in a friend. Depression can isolate the sufferer from their friends and it can make them believe that they are better alone, so withdrawal is a common sign that someone is dealing with depression. Just because someone chooses be alone, it doesn't always mean that they want to be. For those struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, the best thing to do is confide in a friend.

And then a Plank in Reason, broke,

And I dropped down, and down --

And hit a World, at every plunge,

And Finished knowing -- then --

Dickinson explains that for some reason she decided to keep on going and push through all her suicidal thoughts. This is something that we all need to remember. We need to hit the world at every plunge. We need to promise ourselves that until we've done that, we cannot finish knowing. Depression isn't a bad mood or slump, it's a mental illness, and it's time we all start looking out for one another. Those facing depression must understand that it's OK to ask for help. We need to break down the stigma against mental illnesses and help each other out. There are too many of us with funerals in our brains.