I woke up this morning at my own selfish leisure – well-rested and content. I wasn’t wondering what my dad was up to, or what grade my best friend received on her final exam yesterday. In fact, my concerns were skewed by trivial issues, like the mess in my room and the school assignments I’ve been putting off. I didn’t consider the well-being of my loved ones because I didn’t think it was relevant until I heard the news.

There was another school shooting, but this time in my hometown – Portland, Oregon.

Upon learning that the devastating event occurred at Reynolds High School, I could exhale a small sigh of relief. I don’t know anyone who attends that school. But nonetheless, this disturbed me. It was the third school shooting that I had heard of in the last month, and each one seemed to get closer to home. The proximity grabbed my attention, but my concerns were more deep-seated than safety.

Eyes glued to the screen, my mind was swarming with questions – each one more troubling than the next – as I streamed the live news coverage for nearly an hour. The anchor mentioned guns, security, damage control, times, dates, numbers. But one prevalent question was left unanswered.

I’m wondering why so many people – approximately 74 in the last two years – have attempted to kill their peers and their mentors: the ones that should be motivating them to wake up each day, to care about their future and essentially, to live. Why do they feel so alone, so betrayed and so angry at the world that they are compelled to get the worst kind of revenge? Why do they think this is their only way out? What went wrong?

Studies have been done on these shooters. Their mental issues and their motives vary, but a common trait is depression. Although I would never suggest sympathy for a murderer of any kind, I think it’s vital that we consider their lives before the shooting, then we can begin to solve the problem.

It’s not an accident. It’s an accumulation of daily neglect. It’s a toxic environment that we all have the potential to improve, and that can be as simple as a small change in your daily habits: taking an extra moment to ask a stranger how their day is going, offer help or say thank you. In the technology-based and materialistic era we live in today, too many people are starved of the personal interaction and attention they desperately need. This is where depression thrives.

I’ve experienced it before – like so many others my age – and it’s different than sadness because when you’re sad, you know it’s temporary, but when you’re depressed, you feel trapped. You feel as though you’re incapable of happiness. When left untreated, it can have a snowball effect. Imagine living a life like that – silently suffering with no one to turn to, repeatedly reminded of your pain, or mustering up the courage to ask for help, only to be shot down. Your confidence is so frail, motivation so eroded that even making an appointment with a therapist is too arduous to pursue. I was strong enough to seek help, but approximately 30,000 Americans each year suffer for too long.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for people 15-24 years old. In 2010, depression became the number one disability in the world. It’s too common, and too dangerous to be overlooked.

Mentioning the statistics is eye opening, but futile – for the people who are experiencing depression, it isn’t some measurable number or something that can be adapted to. It’s their reality, their world and their being. They need your help, and the time to start helping isn’t tomorrow at your convenience, or when they start showing warning signs. Don’t wait until the third time you see them crying or the fourth day in a row they haven’t gotten out of bed. Don’t wait until a shooting happens. Start now.

So, in the hopes of advocating compassion, overcoming feelings of hopelessness and alienation, and therefor resisting the hateful violence that commonly results from it, set aside time today to make sure the people in your life know they’re not alone. Go the extra mile and call them, talk to them, hug them – don’t just tell them you care. Show them.

Resources for UO students:

Online informational resources

Health Center: 541-346-2770

Counseling Center: 541-346-3227

UO 24-Hour Crisis Hotline: 541-346-3227

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK  (1-800-273-8255)

A friend who cares: andreah@dailyemerald.com