Suicide. A word that is linked with tragedy and devastation. People all around the world are thinking of and sadly attempting suicide. It has been a rising problem for a long time and we need to learn to recognize the signs, so suicide can be prevented. Unfortunately, it is the third leading cause of death for young people, ages 15-24. One person, in that age group, dies of suicide on average every two hours and twelve minutes. If people had a better understanding of suicide and what the signs are, maybe they’d be able to stop it. If a person has visual changes in behavior such as social withdrawal, lack of interest in activities they had previously been interested in, or a change in sleep patterns, they could be suicidal. Other signs are feeling worthless, writing poems or stories about suicide, or giving away prized possessions. There are many other warning signs as well. If a person seems to be experiencing a lot of these things, don’t wait. Take action, and do whatever needs to be done to help them. Talk to them and figure out what’s wrong, if need be offer some advice. Take away anything they could potentially use to hurt themselves, just to be safe. If all else fails, call a suicide hotline and get them professional help. Sometimes what you can do is just not enough and they need help from a professional. If people take notice of these signs and proceed to take the steps in order to help the individual in concern, then we can help prevent suicide. Together we can make the world a much better place. Who wouldn’t want to live in a world without suicide?