According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in Mississippi.

WDAM 7 reported that a suicide took place at Purvis High School last week and in April a man took his life in Jasper County after a traffic accident.

Psychologist Mallory Malkin from Pine Grove said it is important to reach out to loved ones that are showing signs of depression like anger, shame, hopelessness or withdrawal.

“It’s one of those things that you really can’t dance around. It’s better to address it straight forward instead of being afraid to offend someone or hurt their feelings,” Malkin said.

In Mississippi, suicide is the third leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 to 24 and Malkin said this is not surprising.  Source