Talking about suicide can be an uncomfortable conversation, something that Marie Dudek Brown knows all too well.

“She just was in more pain than I ever realized," she said, looking at faded pictures of her daughter scattered about the dining room. “I like seeing her, and it brings happy memories.”

Dudek Brown didn't know her daughter Natalie was suffering from depression throughout her high school and college years. At the age of 22, the artistic, budding photographer took her own life.

“Afterwards, I realized there were warning signs," said her mother. “There was such anger and rage, and I did not know that was a warning sign of suicide.”

Dudek Brown felt compelled to learn more and share what she could to help others. She eventually helped to found the Central Florida chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

“After she died, there was nothing going to stop me from talking about it," she said, hoping to keep parents from repeating her painful experience.

But it’s an uphill battle.

A study published in Clinical Psychological Science shows an increase in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes and deaths of teens — especially among females.

It was just last week that a student at Lake Minneola High School took his own life.

Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death in teens, according to the CDC.

The same study also found that the more time teens spend on new media, including social media and smartphones, the percentage of teens with suicide-related outcomes skyrockets.

“Social media can influence our offline behaviors," said Pamela Wisniewski.

The UCF professor studies human computer interaction. She’s currently writing a grant proposal on social media and self-harm.

Though the link between social media and your psyche is murky, riddled with positives and negatives, she said, teens are impressionable.

“For instance we only post the positive things about ourselves on social media," she explained, continuing, “Which makes others who are reading our posts think maybe we’re behind. I’m not keeping up with the Joneses.”

In addition to social comparison theory, Wisniewski said that there’s also a psychological theory based on social modeling which creates contagion.

“We as social beings tend to observe those around us and imitate their behavior," she explained.

But since social media is ubiquitous, Wisniewski said the responsibility lies within us all.

“We need to be vigilant and aware of the emotional state of our youth, as teachers, as friends, as parents. And build that social fabric that can protect those who are most vulnerable," she said.

Dudek Brown doubles down on that.

“It’s better to have your friend be mad at you than not have your friend be there. And how would you feel if your friend ended up dying," said Dudek Brown.

She’s hopeful by having those tough conversations, really listening to those suffering, it’ll help to erase the stigma around mental health.

“There were others that helped me through it," she said. "And so, I am here to hopefully help others go through it.”