On Tuesday, one of our fellow students took his own life in Iowa City.

Jason Jeffries, junior in pre-architecture from Lisbon, had reasons which were known only to him, but our thoughts are with him, his friends and his family during this difficult time.

As a community, we are all affected by such a loss as this.

It is difficult to know what could have been done at the time or what we can do now to those in need of help.

Suicide raises difficult existential questions.

Why did this have to happen?

Did we miss the signs?

Will we see the signs the next time someone in our community needs help?

It is not always possible to know when someone is suicidal, but it is possible to be armed with knowledge about suicide and the reasons why people kill themselves.

There are many resources available to help us understand suicide and its causes.

Mental Health Net is one resource with information that will shock many people.

The No. 1 reason why people take their own lives is untreated depression.

At least 15 percent of people with depression commit suicide, and many more will attempt it at some point in their lives.

According to Suicide Prevention Advocacy Network, in the United States alone, someone attempts suicide every 42 seconds; someone successfully commits suicide every 16.9 minutes; suicide is the eighth leading cause of all deaths and it is the third leading cause for Americans between the ages of 15 to 24.

Over the past 40 years, the incidence of suicide among 15- to 24-year-olds has tripled while the rate among 15- to 19-year-olds has quadrupled.

Suicide is a national problem as depression begins reaching epidemic levels.

What is particularly sad is that mental health is often taken for granted.

Mental and emotional problems are often viewed with the same skepticism and superstition today as they were a hundred years ago, and that is truly unfortunate.

It is time for us to realize that depression is a very natural reaction to life in the modern era; it is one of the most treatable of all maladies, and there is no shame in seeking help.

If you know someone who needs help, don’t be afraid to encourage them to seek treatment or talk to someone.

And for those of us left behind after the tragedy of suicide, don’t be afraid to talk about your feelings with a counselor or RA. These people are here to help us through adversity.

On a campus of over 26,000 people, no one should be alone.

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Iowa State Daily Editorial Board: Sara Ziegler, Greg Jerrett, Kate Kompas and Carrie Tett.