Dear Future President,

Loyal American citizens are dying. People are depressed, anxious, and dying. Life in America is getting so bad for some people that they are choosing to end their lives. The treatment of mental illness and suicide is not as serious as it needs to be and is a rising problem. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, “Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US.” This needs to be handled. Education must be provided. More help such as therapy and hotlines need to be made. The causes of depression and illness that lead to suicide such as troubles with Economy need to be fixed. Job availability and finances need to increase.

Future President, My attention was turned towards this issue at a young age. My great grandfather had depression and post traumatic stress disorder. He was an honorable man and very patriotic. No one listened to his cries for help and he shot himself through the heart with a shotgun. My sister has ADHD and people are very rude to her for her hyper personality. She is just a sweet 9 year old and people treat her cruelly and make snarky remarks. My best friend had extreme depression. His family put him down and claimed he wanted attention. He attempted suicide by electrocution, but didn’t succeed. Luckily, I noticed him acting different and figured it out. This was only because I had education and personal experience from before. He even admitted to me that he probably would have tried again if not for me. Now, we have been dating four years. All thanks to the education I received, we turned out happy. This could happen more often if you, our president, are willing to help us get there.

There are way too many suicides and they appear to have a pattern in each category. According to graphs from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, in 2014, Montana had the highest suicide rate of 23.8 per 100,000 individuals. In 2012, Wyoming hit 29.77 per 100,000. In almost all the states, you can see the incline of rates over the years from 2005 to 2014. The highest suicide rates are ages 65 and older. This is most likely due to dementia, alzheimer's disease, and lack of proper care in adults. Caucasian ethnic groups are the most common to commit or attempt suicide. They also state that “On average, there are 117 suicides per day.” Per day, 117 people decide to commit suicide, not including attempts. That is about the amount of staff members in my high school. If all the teachers died today, the students would be lost and our country would lose money. The multitude of suicides is going to make the economy sink further, destroy more lives and jobs, and diminish the population. These deaths are impacting more than just an individual or a family. The well-being of our country’s citizens, economy, and name are at stake.

As for the economy, In The Costs of Suicide, they state “For each suicide prevented, the United States could save an average of $1,182,559.” This could buy food for the starving, houses for the homeless, and provide for those in poverty. America is already in debt. You, our president, could do yourself a favor and save some of this money. Educating families and providing mental care is inexpensive compared to the money lost by suicide. There are people out there who would work and help for free with hope to do good. This can save not only those with mental illness or suicidal thoughts, but the people involved and impacted by those deaths. People in a workforce can commit suicide and leave open a position that no one else may know how to do. It could cost the company hundreds or thousands depending on the situation. A lot of this could be prevented by using a little more cash on medicine for the mentally ill or stricter watch over substance abusers. According to The Costs of Suicide, “Of those who die by suicide, more than 90 percent have depression or another diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder.” This stuff is more recognisable than suicidal actions or thoughts. This can help narrow down who needs more care.

What if physical illness was treated like mental illness. According to Robert Szczerba of Forbes.com, “Many may believe the patient is at fault or is in control of their affliction, which can lead to insensitive or uneducated statements such as ‘Have you tried … you know … not being depressed?’” I know from how people shoved away my loved ones that people have this false image that since you can’t see it, it isn’t there. Just because it is a non-visible illness does not mean it doesn’t have a voice. Their cries for help are right there, you just choose not to listen. People can drive others closer to the brink of suicide that way. If someone was shot and dying, you would not tell them to get up and stop being dramatic. You would care for them and seek medical attention. That is how mental illness should be treated too. After all they are all classified as illnesses.

Please, Our beloved president. I am begging you. Save the loyal citizens of our country you are running. Save our communities, our families… my family. I am counting on you. Please cease the suicide and provide care and education for the ill. You are our biggest hope.

Sincerely,

Rebecca-Jo W.

“The Costs of Suicide.” Value Options. 2009. Web. 23 Oct. 2016

“Suicide statistics — AFSP.” American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. AFSP, 2016. Web. 23 Oct.         2016.

Szczerba, Robert J. “What If Physical Illness Were Treated Like Mental Illness?” Forbes. Forbes, 8 Mar.     2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.