Suicide is a serious problem that is becoming a national crisis. In 1997, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 30,535 Americans committed suicide. This is equivalent to one person every 17.2 minutes, making suicide the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. Suicide has recently become the second leading cause of death among people under twenty-five.

Researchers have long struggled to understand why people kill themselves. Most agree that people who commit suicide usually do so when they are already in a stressful situation—often referred to as a "risk factor"—and something happens to trigger the act.

Risk factors for suicide include depression, drug and alcohol dependency, life inexperience, an inability to solve problems, a history of sexual abuse, and many others. Of these risk factors, depression is generally considered the most serious. Stephen L. Bernhardt, an expert on suicide, explains how depression distorts reality...