AUSTIN, Minn. - Local mental health professional are starting a conversation about the tough topic of suicide.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 34 years old.
Conversations are started in an effort to educate others on how to help those who are struggling.
Patricia Weis, of Rose Creek, Minn., is a retired nurse who keeps up her education as a requirement for her nursing license. She said this is an important topic for everyone to talk about, not jut medical professionals.
"The first line of defense is those that are at home - the mom, the dad," Weis said. "With all the things that you're hearing in the news now, some of that is definitely mental illness."
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five adults in America experience mental illness.
Weis also said suicide needs to be taken seriously as warning signs often get overlooked.
"Suicide is real and people do commit it," Weis said. "Even when they say they're not suicidal, you need to be having some type of assessment-capability in order to see really where that person standing and what you think is really dangerous continuum or not so bad."
