Every year, approximately one million people die from suicide. That is about 3,000 deaths due to suicide each day, according to WHO. Huge numbers like this show us the severity of this issue. However, suicide is commonly thought of as a problem of the past, even though the rate of suicide is much higher now than ever before. Furthermore, suicide has the biggest effect on the younger generation (anyone from 10-18), which will affect the success of the next generation severely. And since the severity of suicide has not been fully acknowledged, nothing game changing has been done about it.

The internet and social media have negative effects on suicide due to cyberbullying, and while this is not to say that the entire internet is ill-willed, many aspects of it can greatly affect the mindset of teenagers. However, the United States is not the only country dealing with the issue of suicide; countries such as South Korea, India, Russia, and Japan also have some of the highest suicide rates, states Business Insider. This slew of statistics shows that this is a worldwide issue and that things need to change in order to improve the issue. The U.S. government, however, has not entirely addressed the issue, and no changes such as counseling or therapy have been made more available for those who are suicidal, according to ABC.  

Suicide can sometimes  be related to one’s surroundings. For example, many people in countries that have dictatorships tend to have higher suicide rates because of how poorly they are being treated by their own government, according to Inside Edition. List 25 states that Japan has the highest suicide rate in the world due to their harsh academic and social pressure on students. Those, however, who do try to avoid suicide and migrate to a safer location become unwanted refugees and get forced out of other countries as a result.

Even though mental health issues are increasingly affecting people of all ages, the U.S. government has cut mental health funding, which consequently rids people of any support they may have had, states Fox News. Mental illnesses play a part in mass shootings and attacks, and nearly 70 percent of shootings have to do with mental illness, states Psychiatry Online. These deadly attacks tend to be taken more seriously than suicides, even though in both cases deaths are occurring unnecessarily. This can make you wonder where you would even go if you were dealing with an issue like this, not to mention that those thinking of suicide tend to think they can be a burden, dangerous, or that others don’t care enough to help, which makes it all the more important to make support available for those thinking of suicide to prevent any further deterioration.

This issue should not be taken lightly. Although reports of suicide do not appear on the news everyday, it does not make it any less important. Suicide rates have gone up by 20 percent since 2010, according to The New York Times, and lack of recognition is a factor in suicide increasing. Something as simple as a support group  could work towards the improvement of suicide rates, and protests to the government can show that a change is needed for the United States to show the government the benefits of mental health funding in order to support a change in suicide rates.