Mental health in focus

As the country observed National Suicide Prevention Day yesterday, we at The Daily Eastern News kept in mind, just like we always have, the importance of suicide prevention. Depression, anxiety, loneliness and other issues are all factors in what drives a person to consider suicide.

We at The Daily Eastern News are in complete agreement that this is an important issue that must be reiterated. There are many college students who deal with depression on a daily basis or who experience the stresses of school and being homesick.

We feel that it is vitally important for anyone who feels that there is no way out of the darkness they are in to seek help. Suicide is not the answer, despite what many people may think when they have feelings of depression. There are counselors at the Human Services building who are more than willing to talk to you about what is going on and to help you get into a better place where these feelings no longer linger day in and day out. Many people who commit suicide do not fully intend on doing it at first. Sometimes, it is just a cry for help. We encourage everyone to be mindful of their peers who seem down and depressed.

Talk to them, let them confide in you and help them so they do not get to that awful place. People have often said that suicide is a permanent solution for a temporary problem, and we could not agree more. We feel that everyone should have a safe place to go to when they are feeling down, and we also feel that everyone needs a shoulder to cry on or a friend to talk to.

Depression is a true disease that affects people very strongly, and we wish that anyone who suffers from depression feels that they can go to human services, talk to their friends or even go to their professors and explain what they are feeling. There really is a better solution to treat the pain that we may feel inside at times, and we can assure you that suicide is not the answer.