Suicide rates are increasing rapidly, and as of 2020, suicide was the 12th leading cause of death in the United states. And, according to the same data, suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year olds in America, white males being the majority.

These numbers are overwhelming enough, and we need to take more action on suicide prevention before these numbers go any higher because if we don’t, we will be more exposed to the drastic societal consequences than we are already.

Suicide is more than just an issue, but a fear as well. People who have been affected by suicidal thoughts and attempts are not just strangers or statistics you see on the news. These people are friends, family, students, teachers, spouses, and so much more. They are a part of a national community, which is our community.

Suicide doesn’t just affect the person attempting it, but it also affects the people around that person. Once that person is gone, a ripple of grief and pain is spread throughout that specific community. Specifically, about six to 135 people are affected by every person lost to suicide according to the Centre of Suicide Prevention.

Not to mention how common victim blaming is when it comes to suicide and the people affected by it. Instead of getting people the help they need when they’re alive and capable of getting better, we wait until they are gone and call them selfish for not reaching out sooner. However, reaching out isn’t just saying “I need help,” but it can come from other things that we tend to not think about until it is too late.

For example, my baby sister passed from suicide in 2018, and although most of my family said they never saw it coming, the signs were clear. She lost interest in pretty much everything, such as hanging out with people at the park, or going to her favorite restaurant on her birthday. She posted alarming things on social media, and had failing grades in every class. We hear about these signs in those suicide prevention presentations that schools are supposed to show us, and they are the most notable, but sometimes it can be harder to see than we realize.

It’s hard to accept that someone we know could be struggling with something so frightening, but the denial and conflicting feelings only dig themselves way deeper into your heart when that person is gone. We need to provide better support for those going through something, and prove that when we say “it’s ok to ask for help,” we aren’t saying it to be pretty. We also need to provide better help for those affected by suicide, and take them into consideration too.

One person can make a difference, but as a community? We can change the world, and that starts by saving lives one at a time.