Having recently dealt with the loss of a high school friend, I've decided to confront some issues we deal with these days regarding teen suicide.

Unfortunately, most people in our generation have known someone from high school, college, or their hometown to have committed suicide.  If you have not firsthand experienced the grief that goes along with this loss, consider yourself lucky.  But I want to clear some stuff up here.

It is hard to put into words exactly what is wrong with the way we react to suicide.  We hear about many tragic events on a day to day basis on the news, in the paper, or in the classroom without so much as blinking an eye.  However, as you listen to your best friend or your sister tell you in detail about how the star student, social butterfly, or extraordinary athlete from your high school committed suicide recently, you may react differently.  You knew this person.  You passed them in the hallway going to and from class each day.  You may even remember distinctly how hilarious they danced at prom two years ago.  And its hard.  You hate to think that this person could feel so down that they felt they could no longer live.  But is that really the reason?  You contemplate your emotions and take into consideration that you may never know what happened or how your friend felt.

Dealing with suicide is not an easy thing, and an even harder thing is talking about it with others that knew him/her too.  Phone calls and text messages and tweets fly as you remember the person you all know and loved.  RIPs and heart emojis and loving remembrances clog your timeline.  Most people are hurt, but there are always others that seem confused.  "What's wrong with these kids?" is the sentence that most upset me when discussing the news of our recent loss.  Once hearing this, I couldn't stop repeating it.  I not only felt as if it was wrongly projected, but also incorrectly stated.  Its not what's wrong with the kids that are committing suicide, but what's wrong with us.  I think it's things like this that are said which hurt people and make them unsure about the purpose of their lives.

Personally, I think we need to step back and look into the true cause of our beloveds' deaths.  As young people, we get this drilled into our heads by countless counselors and speakers and teachers, but it really is important.  Know the signs of depression and do not judge.  Think before you speak and do not be afraid to ask educated questions.

The year is 2014, and suicide has surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of injury-related deaths in America.  We need to step back and instead of finding a resolve to this issue, look at the problem.  How should we react to the loss of a dear friend?  Should we be more sympathetic when we hear the bad news?  Please do not read this with a heavy heart, but rather with an optimistic mind that with a little truth and honestly, we can decrease recent suicide rates and squash false perceptions about depression.