Topics that are frowned upon in discussion: women’s periods, STDs, abortion, polygamy. Suicide.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teenagers, yet it seems taboo to talk about it. We can discuss other leading causes such as car accidents or heart disease, but some are lead to believe that talking about suicide will put an idea in someone’s head.

We have hit TV shows based around the premise of murder, but when a teenager watches a show about murder, does that make them murderous?

As teenagers, almost all of us have been affected by suicide, whether it be someone we know or a celebrity we look up to. We needed to start talking about suicide and mental health years ago, before it directly affected so many of our lives.

With Naperville 203’s new Signs of Suicide program, SOS, they are taking the first step to talking about a taboo subject and making teenagers aware that suicide does happen and they are not alone.

While we wish this program had been implemented sooner, the Central Times agreed that it’s certainly better late than never. Students at Central have already been affected by suicide, but the steps taken are crucial to spread awareness about mental health issues.

The SOS program is critical to give more resources to students to help with mental health. Naperville 203 made the right step in implementing this program and giving kids more access to help if they need it.

If you need help, call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255.