Suicide Prevention Week began this Monday and today is World Suicide Prevention Day, but suicide remains a taboo and touchy subject for discussion. But as the American Association of Suicidology puts it, “Suicide prevention is everyone’s business.”

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 40,000 men and women commit suicide annually. With a clear mental health dilemma on our hands, it is unfortunately still hard for people to talk openly about mental illness.

Society has a way of placing blame on victims. If someone is suffering we say “it’s okay, just smile,” or “stop worrying so much,” when really, we should be saying, “How can I help you?”

It’s hard to understand what it’s like to be hurting on the inside if you’ve never experienced it.  When someone commits suicide, we call them cowards, but we are the cowards. We are the cowards for not seeing the signs and helping them sooner. We are the cowards for ignoring this problem and assuming it will fix itself.

Depression or any mental illness can spiral out of control. The quick fix usually involves a Band-Aid and sometimes this Band-Aid involves sex, drugs or self-harm. For me personally, whenever I had a problem, I had my own horrible way of coping. Eventually however, I learned that there was nothing wrong with struggling or having problems. There was nothing wrong with asking for help either. If I had the flu I would ask a doctor for help.

Reach out to friends, family, classmates, coworkers—anyone and everyone. Let one another know that you care, and you’re here. We all need to lift each other up and quit putting ourselves and others down—we are the solution.

Jasmine Jones is a graduate student in political science.