Trigger warning: This article mentions topics of suicide and mental health.
18,139.
This is a current 2025 number of unfortunate souls who have lost their lives to suicide, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). That’s an estimated 70 people per day that took their own lives in 2023.
The importance of mental health has been mentioned to us, as teenagers, from an early age. We’re introduced to our guidance counselors, safe adults in our school building, and resources to help us when we’re struggling. We’ve experienced remote learning and the “social-emotional activities” upon returning to the building. We have always heard about the importance of mental health, why it is important to take care of ourselves, and why we should care.
But truth be told, from a teenager’s perspective in 2025, society, as a whole, needs to care more about mental health. It’s not talked about as much as it should be, perhaps in some cases due to the social stigma placed around it within certain family values and cultures.
However, when looking at the CDC’s data, a couple of interesting patterns emerged.
- Suicide rates aren’t going down. In fact, they’re going up every single year, despite the increase in resources available.
- While men make up 50 percent of our population, they make up 80 percent of our suicide rates as a nation.
The real question is: How has society failed these individuals?
As men, we are told to suppress our emotions. We are told that if we express many of our emotions then we are weak. But why isn’t the “old school” perspective that men must be strong, tough, and live emotion-free lives left in the past for many men? Even young men in our generation are guilty of experiencing this. Statistics show that 20 percent of men say there is a negative stigma on men that talk about their emotional troubles, according to the CDC.
Unfortunately, for those of us that are teenagers and minors, many of us may not have the luxury of living with progressive parents that emphasize the importance of talking out tough emotions. In some cases, parents may mirror their own childhoods with the “old school” mentality mentioned above.
The CDC’s survey also mentions that 40% of men say that they have never told anyone about their mental health issues. What’s even more disheartening? 29 percent say that they are too embarrassed to talk about their emotions.
As time progresses, the amount of conversations, support groups, resources, and help are growing in availability. Yet, while these resources allow people to express themselves without fear of judgment, the growing number of men, of all ages, taking their own lives has drastically risen.
Data shows that this number in Dec. 2018 totaled to 13,000 deaths. In Dec. 2023, that number grew significantly to 18,000 deaths. The most drastic jump occurred between 2019 to 2020, with more than 2,000 deaths than the previous year.
So what do we do about this?
- Firstly, having an open mind and an open heart can work wonders for someone who may need an ear to listen. For anyone who feels alone, a sense of comfort and importance can change an entire mentality. Knowing the statistics, be sure to check on the men in your life; they may need a shoulder to lean on.
- Taking advantage of the resources available, for teenagers also, can be life-changing.
Some resources include:
Trevor Project: A mental health website that focuses and advocates on behalf of the LGBTQ youth as well as provides resources on how to deal with your mental health as a young LGBTQ+ individual.
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
- Text Start to 678-678
- Call at 1-866-488-7386
Talk Space: Talk space is a free mental health resource for all teenagers and youth in New York City. Talk Space provides free talks, chats and even calls with a local social worker.
https://www.talkspace.com
Suicide Hotline: Please call 988. The National Suicide hotline.
Lastly, just a word from me to you, if you need it. You are a special and unique person who is capable of living a wonderful life. You are important to someone in this world, even if you don’t realize it now. Speak to someone about how you are feeling and take advantage of these resources. You are valued and you are loved. There are so many opportunities that you can and will have on your journey, yet not everything can and will be positive.
If good moments lasted forever, how would we appreciate how precious these moments are to us?
The storms will pass, and you will shine.
