Suicide and depression and the prevention of both is not a subject people like to talk about.

But as I keep trying to emphasize to people, suicide is real and it does happen. No family is immune to it. Depression can happen to anyone. Unless we fight it, the statistics will continue to rise.

Work is beginning for this year’s Out of the Darkness Community Walk for Suicide Prevention and Depression Awareness.

Please be looking for more information on this walk to come soon. In light of this upcoming event, please be aware that today is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day.

This day is set aside for raising awareness of the need for effective programs for children’s mental health. Depression in children and adolescents is real. It is more than “the blues.” These problems are real, painful and can be severe.

Studies have shown that at any point in time, 10 to 15 percent of children and adolescents have some symptoms of depression. Mental health is important for people of all ages. It is just as important as other health issues. It affects how people feel and act and how they handle stress and various life situations.

Mental health trouble in children can be caused by many different things. Some examples are: exposure to environmental toxins, exposure to violence, stress from poverty or other hardships and loss of important people in their lives, whether it be through death, divorce or broken relationships.

If you suspect a child or adolescent has a mental health issue, get help as soon as possible.

The following are just some of the possible signs that a child may need some type of help: having sad and hopeless feelings that don’t go away, being angry the majority of the time, feeling worthless or guilty, being unable to get over a loss due to a death, being extremely fearful, being overly concerned about physical appearance, expressing concern that their mind is out of control, a sudden decline in performance at school, losing interest in formerly enjoyable things, avoiding friends and family, hearing voices, experiencing suicidal thoughts, extremely poor concentration, having persistent nightmares and showing signs of eating disorders.

It is critical that we protect our children.  We have an obligation to protect their mental health. We take them to the doctor for physical checkups, and we take them to the doctor when they have some type of “common” sickness.

If we suspect a child has some type of mental health situation going on, it is just as important that we take them to a doctor to have this checked out. There is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about.

Our children are precious. Within the past month in our country there have been two 12-year-olds in different states who took their own lives. This is absolutely heartbreaking.  Let’s do whatever we can to help our children.

For more information on mental health issues in children, call the National Mental Health Information Center at 1-800-789-2647 and request information, or visit the Center’s Web site at mentalhealth.samhsa.gov and www.samhsa.gov/children.

This article addresses the issue of depression and preventing suicide in children and adolescents. I am thankful that I have not had to deal with this specific area. I lost a father to suicide, and it was devastating. Losing a child to this, or even having a child with severe mental issues, must be extremely difficult to handle. Every human being is important. Every life is worth fighting for.

For more information on suicide prevention or the 2009 Miss-Lou Out of the Darkness Community Walk for Suicide Prevention and Depression Awareness, please visit www.outofthedarkness.org. This organization addresses mental health in people of all ages and from all backgrounds.

Depression and suicide does not discriminate. It attacks just like any other horrible sickness. Suicide is an awful thing, and we need to help prevent it. We need to help families left behind when it does happen. We just need to help.

Erin Sessions is the organizer of the Miss-Lou Out of Darkness Community Walk.