Movies depict high school teenagers as having a carefree and fun life but the sad reality is that being a teenager isn’t

always that simple.

Homework and relationships can make any teenager feel sad or stressed but sometimes other uncontrollable factors can change a teenager’s mood. Many teens suffer from depression and often times don’t receive the proper attention they need.

Depression can lead to anything ranging from violence to suicide. According to Rawhide, suicide is the second leading cause of death for teens around the ages of 12 to 18. Jokes like “kill yourself” or any joke instigating taking a life should never be taken lightly. Suicide is a really delicate subject and people never really know what someone is going through until they say something.

People mainly don’t mean any harm in saying those jokes and often pass them off as harmless but people who are feeling depressed or suicidal may take them more seriously. It’s hard to tell who is going through depression so you should strive to be respectful or polite to your peers. This doesn’t mean that you have to be nice to every person you meet, but instead respect their presence and be mindful of them.

Teenagers who have a different sexuality are also at a higher risk to contemplate suicide. According to the Prevention Project teens with sexualities besides straight are four times more likely to commit suicide.

Fear of rejection or fear of bullying increases the risk of suicidal thoughts. People are now more accepting of Lesbian Gay Bi Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) teens but many still face problems. Problems with accepting yourself is probably what every LGBTQ teen has to confront.

Building a strong support system can help deal with stressful situations or hateful comments.  Accepting yourself can take as little as a month to years to do.

From personal experience the biggest obstacle I ever faced was my own perception of self-identity. It took four years to finally accept myself for the person I am today. Without having a strong support system and accepting myself  dealing with rejection and homophobic comments would have been harder for me to deal with.

Families who view homosexuality as a bad thing often times reject their child and can lead them to become depressed or even suicidal. Teens who are rejected from their family due to their sexuality are eight times more likely to think about or commit suicide. There’s a saying in the LGBTQ community “We as gay people get to choose our family and the people were around.”