I remember the last time my best friend told me he wanted to die. He said that he couldn’t live with the fact that he’d ever hurt me. He was trying to say good-bye, telling me how much he loves me and trying to make me promise to live happily. All I could do was cry and beg him not to go. I told him that I wouldn’t be able to live without him. I loved him more than the world and life itself. The only way I could ever live with his death would be to die with him. He has saved me from suicide before and never had I felt so special than with him. He cared for me in such a way that I only lived through my days to see and be with him. So, in all seriousness, I told him that if he kills himself, I will too. Tears ran down my face but I stood my ground. My entire body trembled as I waited to hear his decision. He paused for a long time. My heart and breath stopped until I heard his words. “My life isn’t worth half the value of yours,” he whispered, “and I know you don’t want to die. But I also know that I’m worth a lot more to you than I am to myself. A lot of people will miss you and only you would miss me… Okay you win.”
“Do you promise?” I asked taking his hand and holding it tight. I was afraid he would disappear, forever to be lost from my life. The uncontrollable tears were like a waterfall of sorrow. To imagine life without him was staring at death. I couldn’t bear to lose one of my friends, especially not by their own hand.
“Yes. I promise, for now.”
Teen suicide is a growing, devastating, and recurring problem in the United States.

Teen suicide is a problem because the value of a person’s life is much greater than people seem to understand. But if someone is willing to take their own life because of the way others treat them, there is a problem. It means that while situations get more and more helpless, no is paying attention to this one person in need. The CDC reports that suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents ages 15 to 24. And even younger children do not escape. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for kids between the ages of 10 and 14(“Teen Suicide Statistics”). The negative consequences of suicide are death, of course, and the grieving and trauma to the people around the teenager. And does it really take the death of someone whose life hasn’t even started to make people realize that something is wrong.
There are several different factors that may lead a teenager to take his or her life, but the most common is depression. Feelings of hopelessness and anxiety, along with feelings of being trapped in a life that one can't handle, are very real contributors to teen suicide. In some cases, teenagers believe that suicide is the only way to solve their problems. The pressures of life seem too much to cope with, and some teenagers look at suicide as a welcome escape. Other factors that may contribute to teen suicide include: divorce of parents, violence in the home, inability to find success at school, feelings of worthlessness, rejection by friends or peers, substance abuse, death of someone close to the teenager, or the suicide of a friend or someone he or she "knows" online(“Teen Suicide Statistics”). There are many common factors of life that can make a teenager kill themselves.
There are several warning signs that show a teen wants to commit suicide. A teen might talk about death and/or suicide (maybe even with a joking manner). They will express worries that nobody cares about him or her. They will withdraw from interacting with friends and family. They will show dramatic changes in personality and behavior. They may show signs of depression or signs of a substance abuse problem. They’ll begin to act recklessly and engage in risk-taking behaviors or giving away sentimental possessions. Be especially watchful if they’ve attempted suicide in the past, spend time online interacting with people who glamorize suicide and maybe even form suicide pacts, or plans ways to kill him or herself. People sometimes overlook the signs of teen suicide. They pass it off as a “phase” and think that they’ll just get over it. People need to pay more attention to the signs.
Teen suicide is a big problem in today’s society. Every 30 seconds a teenager commits suicide around the world (“How Many Teens Commit Suicide Each Year?”). Maria Gonzalis states, “Even the thought that no one loves you could send a suicidal child to the edge. If a teen was on the edge of a cliff, sitting and perfectly happy, then a rude, arrogant, teenager comes and sits next to them. They say “No one loves you and your life will never get better.” Do you think that they will jump? Yes, most likely. But if that person came and held them and said everything is going to be perfectly fine and their life will get better and not to worry. Then, no, they wouldn't jump. They would feel better about them self and never give up to make that come true. Just the thought of innocent kid dying every 30 seconds is a terrible thing. People are trying to decrease the amount of children that die because of suicide each day. Help them. Help keep a loved one or friend from committing suicide. It will help.”