In 2014, the second leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds and college-age youths was suicide. According to The Parent Resource Program, since 2014, more teens have died from suicide than cancer, AIDS, and heart disease combined. Sophomore Rachel Perez admitted she was not shocked by these statistics: “recently a lot of people have started to express their unhappiness with saying there is no outlet, so it doesn’t surprise me as much as it should.” Four out of ve teens that commit suicide give clear warning signs before the at- tempt. Every year, 42,773 Ameri- cans die from suicide according to The American Foundation For Suicide Prevention. Since 2014, suicide has been the tenth leading cause of death in America. Still, suicide prevention awareness needs to continue. Warning signs include anything from changes in personality to risky behavior. Most people don’t notice or think anything of these signs until some sort of tragedy takes place.

Jackson Grubb’s family noticed these changes in the nine year old before his death. According to The Washington Post, family members knew Jackson was being bullied but they also knew he was never scared of confrontation. “I was spending time with him, trying to get it out of him.” Jackson’s grandmother and guardian told WVVA, “but Jack’s the type that holds things in, and I couldn’t get to him.” According to The Los Angeles Loyolan, the family saw him as a happy child that was loving and caring, but his bullies thought he was different and tormented him at school and around the trailer park he lived in with his family. Jackson hung himself in his bedroom and was found by one of his sisters. This is a problem everywhere in America. Last year in New York, a twelve year old girl committed suicide after being bullied by two girls in school. According to The Daily Mail, after attempting suicide, Kennis Cady suffered severe brain damage before dying a week later. Like Jackson Grubb, Kennis showed signs of being bullied, like refusing to go places because she didn’t want to see her tormentors. According to New York Daily News, Kennis Cady wasn’t the only young teen that was bullied and commited suicide in her home in East Rochester, New York. The Cady’s are now suing their daughter’s school for not doing anything to stop the bullying which led to her tragic death. Thirteen year old Daniel Fitzpatrick was also bullied and his family, just like the Cady’s, claims the school knew and did nothing to stop it.

Adults, and elderly people deal with these problems as well as ce- lebrities. Famous rapper Kid Cudi came out about his depression and anxiety recently on social media. “My anxiety and depression have ruined my life for as long as I can remember and I never leave the house because of it. I can’t make new friends. I don’t trust anyone because of it and I’m tired of being held back in my life,” the rapper told his fans through a Facebook post. Other celebrities like Wayne Brady, Ellen DeGeneres, and Pete Wentz from the band Fall Out Boy have all suffered depression as well. Many singers like Pete Wentz have used their voice to help people with their depression.

Suicide is such a problem that some people have stopped getting surprised at how many people commit the tragic act. Rachel Perez said “I feel like there is a lot of suicide awareness, but people don’t listen. There needs to be an awareness method that reaches out to all ages, and that really gets into people’s heads.”