November marks Suicide Prevention Month, however with the number of deaths by suicide rapidly rising it’s time to take a look at the facts.

Due to a handy brain function known as the limbic system, which is in charge of memory formation as well as the processing of emotions, we are able to process a memory, a conversation, or a situation and take away the key information needed to respond. However a teenager’s brain is developing very rapidly which means that the limbic system is working very quickly and is relied on much more than most other parts of the brain. This is why statistics show that suicide is the third leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 24.

One in 5 teens has experienced or is experiencing depression. Why? Because the rapidly developing limbic system is magnifying every emotion we have. It’s not far fetched to believe that a teenager is suffering from depression. Today’s world puts a constant stress on teenagers. We are expected to be intelligent and well rounded, we are expected to have the brawn of an all star quarterback and the brain of a child prodigy. When these unrealistic expectations aren’t met not only are we hard on ourselves but the people around us are disappointed.

Now the limbic system takes all of these things in and magnifies that moment of disappointment and recalls it with every mistake you make, with every failed test, with every moment of insecurity. Over time the little things like a negative comment, a bad grade, or a small physical flaw build up until a teenager is experiencing full blown depression.

A person suffering from depression may be lethargic, irritable, and indecisive. They may lose interest in the activities they previously loved or they may have a change in appetite or other normal habits. In some cases they may even experience physical pain such as body aches or headaches.

You shouldn’t shame someone who comes to you for help, you shouldn’t tell someone to get over it, and you shouldn’t discredit someones unhappiness because of their age or social status. If someone comes to you with the courage to tell you that they are unhappy or unsure of what they are going through you should be glad that they are speaking up before it’s too late. You should recognize their fear or their unhappiness because most times when someone has resorted to help its because they absolutely cannot handle everything that’s going on inside of them on their own. It’s better to be safe than sorry when you could be the person standing between someone else’s life or death.