I want to give a shout-out to your newest reporter, Cyrus Guccione. His recent series on suicide was both timely and exceptionally well-written. It was obvious that he treated both the subject and those he interviewed with great respect. Hats off also to our neighbors who candidly shared their deepest struggles.

Just last month, the Centers for Disease Control reported that about “one in three high school-age girls in the U.S. have seriously considered attempting suicide. And more than half of teen girls, 57%, reported feeling ‘persistently sad or hopeless’ — a record high number.”

And teen girls are not the only ones. The same CDC analysis “found the rate of suicide among American Indian and Alaska Native people increased 26% from 2018, followed by Black and Hispanic people, who saw 19.2% and 6.8% increases respectively.”

If you hear someone talking about suicide, take it seriously. “I’m going to kill myself,” “I wish I were dead” or “I wish I hadn’t been born” are signals. Experts at Mayo Clinic explain that “asking about suicidal thoughts or feelings won’t push someone into doing something self-destructive. In fact, offering an opportunity to talk about feelings may reduce the risk of acting on suicidal feelings.”

So often, loved ones say they didn’t see a suicide, or a suicidal attempt, coming. Consider keeping these hotline numbers in a visible place in your home. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week – or use the Lifeline Chat. Services are free and confidential.

I salute The Times for providing a forum for this important topic. As Mr. Guccione wrote, the series offered an “opportunity for discussion, love and understanding.”