Life in this world is not without pain, stress and depression. When someone tastes these emotions, some can feel overwhelmed, like an ocean of sadness washing over them, which submerges one in dark waters.

Regardless of this feeling, people are told to smile, be positive, get over it and to swallow the pain. To stuff the suffering down so deep it will never surface. This is a futile endeavor, which only causes more pain and suffering. Pain and suffering must be addressed directly for any hope of healing.

Coping with the pain of depression is difficult. Some seek to numb it by abusing substances, others choose to immerse themselves in work and still others simply want to be left alone to ponder and isolate themselves from the world.

However, emotions as strong as these do not disappear. Burying them underneath a false smile and pretending there is not a problem only makes them fester deep down inside. One can only ignore these feelings and emotions for so long, eventually they will surface.

My cousin?s wife, Julie, was someone who buried her pain where no one could find it. To my family, Julie was a cowgirl, a strong and willful woman who was not afraid to get her hands dirty and had a smile that could brighten even the darkest of days. She brought a light into any room she walked into. On January 22, 2014, Julie committed suicide. No one in my family saw the ?signs? that she was capable of something like this; no one saw the pain she buried under her smile.

Julie?s suicide shook my family?s world and devastated my cousin. In an effort to understand the tragedy I sought after answers. The search led to many different facts, statistics and charts, but this gave no insight into why Julie committed suicide.

According to the Official Final Data from the American Association of Suicidology, more than 38,364 men and women committed suicide in the United States in a single year. In 2010, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death among Americans. Homicide, which we see on the news almost every day, was only the 15th leading cause of death in the United States.

The most worrisome statistic is that suicide was the third leading cause for people between the age of 10 and 24 years old as stated by the Association of Suicidology, USA Suicide and 2010 Official Final Data.

Suicide and depression among teenagers and young adults is abnormally high. It is estimated that one in eight teenagers suffer from depression, making them at risk for suicide. Depression among teenagers typically derives from mood swings, anxiety, stress and the inability to cope with these complex emotions. These emotions typically make the individual want to distance themselves from loved ones.

Contrary to the popular myth, suicidal people do not usually want to end their lives, they just want to end the pain. Before committing their final act, they usually reach out in some way to see if there is something worth living for.

To those suffering from depression, or those approached by one who is suffering from depression, do not keep quiet about the issue. It is important that all close friends and loved ones be there to support them in their time of need. Depression is rooted in loneliness, to shoulder the pain by oneself is too much to bear. Do not make that mistake.

Aside from emotional and spiritual solutions to depression and suicidal thoughts or tendencies, Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr. Oz, a popular authority on medical conditions and problems, offers non-pharmaceutical solutions to help battle depression.

“If you feel anxious or depressed and it lasts more than two weeks, make sure to get a thorough medical workup, including comprehensive blood work that includes a detailed look at your thyroid,” Mehmet said. “Before trying medication, unless your condition is severe, try some simple interventions, such as: exercise (walk like you are running late for 45 minutes a day). In a study comparing exercise to antidepressants, they were equally effective at 12 weeks, and exercise was more effective at 10 months.”

Aside from exercise and talking with your doctor about your depression, Mehmet says to lose the addicting sugary foods and to also talk to a therapist to help dispel negative thoughts.

“Get on a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet; lose the processed foods and sugar, and foods that quickly turn to sugar,” Mehmet said. “Work with a therapist to kill the ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) that fuel depression. Negative thinking patterns provide the gas for anxiety and depression.”

Life is not without its difficulties, but it is always something worth living for. Every life is precious, every life is worth something, it is not by chance we came into the world but by fate and purpose. We are human, we will stumble and fall, no one said life was easy. But with our friends by our side we lift each other up and lend a helping hand.

All information which I based my thesis, opinions, and general information comes from Teen Suicide, which was edited by Christine Watkins and published by Greenhaven Press. This book contains all of the information I gathered in my article and research.

To see national suicide statistics at a glance, check out Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This author can be reached via Twitter: @RRoggenstein. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.

For more opinions, read the March 17 article, Stroke victim inspires, gives hope for trauma recovery.