Every 13.3 minutes, somebody in America takes their own life. Suicide. It’s something we joke about sometimes and something we avoid talking about sometimes. It’s a dark topic, but this Sunday (10/26/14), at the “Out of Darkness Walk for Suicide Prevention” in Manhattan, activists, loved ones, and survivors are uniting to emerge from the darkness and raise awareness and money for suicide prevention.

The atmosphere at these walks, run year-round at different locations, is both somber and hopeful. People are usually there to commemorate a death, or near-death…hence somber. But the walk also provides a sense of strength, hope, and support for those still in battle.

College students are increasingly involved in fighting the stigma against mental illness and suicide in particular. As they should be, seeing that suicide is the 2^nd leading cause of deaths for 15-24 year-olds.

Even from my Facebook newsfeed, I can see the importance of this cause. From personal stories to links to fundraising pages to posting factoids, my friends are actively raising awareness and/or funds for suicide prevention.

In 2009, a QC alumna and friend of mine (class of 2014), lost someone close to suicide. When asked about this and the importance of this cause, she told me “Ever since then (2009) I’ve been an activist. I have struggled with suicide attempts myself and have many loved ones who also share this struggle. Suicide and mental illness do not discriminate. I’ve been passionate about this cause for years now. Nothing can bring back my friend but raising awareness and fighting the stigma saves many lives.”

When somebody is suicidal, their brain takes on a life of its own – convincing them that killing themselves is the answer. Sometimes, they feel like they’re doing the world a favor by disappearing. Sometimes, they just have no brighter future in their sights. But stigmatized, suicide is described as “attention-seeking,” “selfish,” or “for really disturbed people.”

The fight against this stigma gaining ground more than ever as awareness of mental illnesses pours into the media. When Robin Williams died earlier this year, there was a lot of controversy over whether certain posts (“Genie, you’re free”) were “glorifying” his suicide or not. Nobody should ever glorify any cause of death but this perspective still did wonders for erasing the stigma attached to suicide/mental illness. Generally people felt sad that such a great man was gone, but weren’t angry at him. They were angry at his mental illness.

Despite the controversy surrounding these posts, “Genie, you’re free” offered new insight into suicide being out of the victim’s control.

Awareness through the media and these walks is vital. As a classmate of mine said, “[This awareness is important because] when you have that issue, you feel more comfortable looking for help and being open. There is a stigma against mental illness and we need to open up the lines of communication.”

If people are judged for being suicidal, they’re never going to seek help. And nobody will know…until it’s too late. Awareness opens up a door for somebody to come and say, “Hey, I need help.” Erasing the stigma attached to suicide and mental illness is the best way to decrease the suicide rate.

To get involved in this fight against this stigma and specifically the “Out of Darkness Walk,” you can either donate money to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, donate money to individuals raising money for the walk (like Tali here), join a team to take part in the walk (Baruch has a CUNY team which you can join here), or post statistics/facts on social media! The more people get involved, the more lives we can save.

Also, if you are ever having suicidal thoughts or temptations, call a suicide prevention hotline (here) or go the nearest emergency room. Our lives are too precious.