In America alone, suicide claims more than 40, 00 lives each year. After cancer and heart disease, suicide accounts for more lives lost per year, more than any other cause of death, with 60% of these losses being middle adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15.

Recent studies have shown high school and college school students’ fall under severe stress and depression. However, whether they succeed in their attempt or not, this is still quite an epidemic.

Suicide is a very controversial subject and isn’t often discussed due to the negative connotation of the word and action itself.  Not to mention, religious beliefs and cultural customs for that matter.

Although this subject is a quite sad one, it must be discussed, especially in our educational setting, in order to prevent further actions or acts of harm.

What drives a child as young as 12 years old to end their own life? More importantly, what can we do to prevent it? It doesn’t just… happen. It is a long carried out process of thinking, feeling worthless, depressed and self conscious.

It has shown that 90% of teens who commit harm to themselves have some type of disorder at the time, such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and conduct disorders. It has also been proven that impulsive people are at a higher risk of suicide than most, while also having family, friend and school related issues. This also includes the environment in which and individual lives in, such as prolonged stress, harassment, bullying, relationship problems and even unemployment, as well as stressful life events, such as death of a loved one and divorce. The more health factors, the higher the risk.

Sometimes, even close friends and family members aren’t aware that their loved ones are feeling so down, depressed or even having harmful thoughts. Many depressed people don’t act the way we expect them too. They may never show signs of sadness. However, not all people that are depressed commit suicide. Many suicides are done within impulse, following an upsetting event.

According to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, someone who is seriously depressed may have little interest or pleasure in doing things they used to enjoy, have trouble falling or staying asleep, or they may sleep more than usual. They may lose their appetite, or eat more than usual. They may feel tired or without energy or like everything around them is moving slowly. They’ll show signs of agitation, become fidgety, and restless. They may have trouble concentrating, feel like a failure, or that they’ve let themselves or someone else down. They also may feel better off dead.

According to consoler Kelly Kruger, there are several ways on how Judson offers services on this issue. Judson offers classes for teachers on how to identify a student in need, and how to address and help them. These classes train teachers and guide teachers to the issue. Other times a teacher may refer a student to a consoler and they may have a confidential discussion as to why a child is feeling this way.

Knowingly, they also offer counseling to students who may feel the need to talk to someone about such thoughts. To protect the student, all of the conversations are kept private. However, Texas law states that school officials must report any conversation had with a student in which they think that the student will harm themselves or anyone else.

Although it is common to feel this way with the struggles of everyday life, this type of persistent depression is not normal.

Along with learning to understand suicide itself, we also must learn to understand it in order to prevent it. There are several ways to prevent suicide, such as paying attention to a person sudden change of actions. This could mean noticing a person becoming uninterested in something that used to make them happy. Another way is to sit down with a child or loved one and discuss the negative effects of ending their own life. It is also important to assure a person it’s okay to feel sad and that there is help and hope to all of this.

Suicide is a tough subject for many people to talk about, and even understand. However, it is something that needs to be discussed, especially with its effect on young people. In an society that puts so much pressure on the youth, they… we need to understand that it’s going to be ok. The greatest medicine is time, which a doctor cannot prescribe.