Rachael Newham from Christian mental health charity Think Twice, tells Premier we have not got any better at dealing with suicide over the years.
She was speaking as figures show that 33 per cent of adults say they would not tell anyone if they were having suicidal thoughts.
Rachael Newham said: "We are more aware possibly than ever before tha mental health problems exist and that people struggle with their emotions, but I don't think we have any more understanding.
"You can't see when somebody is struggling with their mental and emotional health all the time, and I think the fact that it's invisible is a huge barrier actually to the way we can help and support people."
Earlier in the week Childline revealed that it takes a call from a young person feeling suicidal every half an hour.
Helpline staff carried out 934 suicide counselling sessions involving children from across the country - averaging almost 18 weekly.
The service's annual report published on Thursday found girls were six times more likely to contact Childline about suicidal thoughts and feelings than boys.
The World Health Organisation estimates that over 800,000 people die by suicide each year - one person every 40 seconds.
Up to 25 times as many again make a suicide attempt.
Rachael Newham said that people still feel a stigma when it comes to talking about suicide: "It's not as difficult as we might think it is, I think it's something that people are very scared talking about still.
"There's still this idea that if you talk about suicide it's going to give somebody the idea, we just need to be looking, going back to the scriptures and not putting our conclusions on things."
She said it is important to offer practical help and to pray for those struggling: "It's about praying for the presence of Jesus and actually just praying that they feel they are being walked alongside with."
The Childline report found that those at most risk were aged between 12 and 15 - although the youngest talking of suicide were just 10.
Listen to Premier's Hannah Tooley speak to Rachael Newham here:
