Whether Ruslana Korshunova killed herself or not remains to be seen. Deliberately throwing oneself off a balcony is not generally the method of choice.

No one really wants to die. People only think of suicide when they feel they don't have any other choice and most do not commit suicide in private where nobody knows. Telling is telling-revealing. Most talk about wanting to die, because they want someone to give them a way out other than death. Most people commit suicide because they're in pain.

My name is Hunter. I'm a spokesperson for a national hotline for teens at 1 (800) USA KIDS. We're here 24/7 or teens may Skype me. My Skype username is huntingtonsmith. I'm online a lot but not constantly. My email is hunter@thursdayschild.org. The number for adults, the National Suicide Hotline, is 1 (800) 273 TALK. Our website is at http://www.thursdayschild.org (mouseover photos and text).

The teenage years especially are times of emotional transition. There's a lot of having to grow up all at once that takes place. Suddenly, there are more responsibilities. There's high school and the thought of college. When we go to school as teens, there's no longer the sameness of sitting in one classroom with the same kids and the same teacher everyday. Now, we have to race from class to class. Everything is different. And then there's sex and that's all confusing. I mean, not long ago we used to hate the opposite sex or at least we pretended to and now we're not only supposed to be liking them, but maybe or maybe not getting parts of our body invaded by them and all of those other things that seemed so unthinkable when we first learned about the facts of life. Our bodies change. Our minds change. But we are all immature. We don't know how to handle situations. We don't even know how to handle the thoughts that go through our minds. We feel awkward about relationships. We don't know what we feel. But in it all, there is an awful aloneness, no matter how popular we seem to be.

Most of us can handle it. But some of us, a lot of us, can't. Each of us has felt suicidal at some point in our teens and the ones who don't are liars. We all cry. We each hurt. But most of us have friends that are there for us to help us through those times. Teens do kill themselves. It happens a lot more often than it should. It happens because no one was there with them at the right time to say just the right words. But it's important to talk. It's important to hold and to be held. It's important to cry and let it all out. Things always change. The light at the end of the tunnel isn't always an oncoming train. If you're feeling suicidal, seek someone out. Sleep helps if you're alone. You will feel better afterwards. And if you know a teen who's talking about death, see if you can get his or her parents to help. Counseling is beneficial, but it isn't a cure. Direction is. Give someone a reason to live and death becomes unthinkable. Joke with them. Make them laugh. Make them see something special in themselves.