This week is National Suicide Prevention Week. Suicide is a major cause of death in the U.S. and is a topic that many are uncomfortable talking about. By talking about suicide, we can bring awareness to the issue and help others who may be experiencing mental health issues and encourage them to seek help.
“Suicide, for a long time, has been the 10th leading cause of death for all Americans. And sadly, it’s the second leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 10 and 34. We’ve been averaging about 48,000 suicides a year in our country, although many people would argue [that it is underestimated], that there are lots of suicide risks,” said Scott Poland, director of the Office of Suicide and Violence Prevention and professor at the graduate College of Psychology.
“National Suicide Prevention Week has tried to encourage everyone to be more aware of what to look for, and what to do to prevent a suicide. It’s really important that everybody knows resources,” said Poland
An easy to access resource for suicide prevention can be found right in your pocket. An AI assistant, like Siri, can direct you to the National Suicide Prevention helpline as well as offer other, more local, resources. The 24-hour National Crisis Helpline can be reached at 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-Suicide. The National Crisis Text line can be reached by texting “HOME” to 741741.
On Sept. 9 at noon, Poland and Catherine Ivey, a graduate student working with the Office of Suicide and Violence Prevention, will present a webinar over Zoom that will cover a program they designed for educators in Florida to prevent suicides. Their program, Florida School Toolkit for Educators to Prevent Suicide (Florida STEPS), is designed for K-12 educators to bring awareness to suicide and teach prevention, intervention and post intervention methods. Mental health professionals interested in using this webinar for continuing education can earn 2 CE credits from this session. Registration can be found at https://nova.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FJ9zoyv0S-qbosj-x_c2bw.
All NSU students are offered counseling sessions with Henderson Student Counseling Services. The Henderson group offers individual, group and couples counseling, as well as psychiatric evaluations. Students may participate in 10 sessions per year at no charge; psychiatric services are available at an additional cost. Henderson utilizes a confidential and non-diagnostic method. Students can schedule an appointment with a Henderson counselor by calling 954-424-6911. Students in crisis can also contact that number to speak with an on-call counselor that can help them.
According to Debra Futterman, director of the Center for Student Counseling and Well Being, “The first thing [that is] really important when it comes to raising awareness for suicidality, is there is a myth that if you talk about suicide, someone will take that [and] do something, that’s not true. The more you talk about suicide, the more people learn, and the more people learn, the less likely it is that someone may resort to taking their own life, rather than reaching out. Henderson has adopted an evidence-based practice for suicide assessment, called Zero Suicide. Every single appointment we have with all of our students. We now utilize [what is] called the CSSRS.”
The CSSRS is a standardized measure for rating the severity of suicidal ideation.
National Institute of Mental Health 5 Action Steps for Helping Someone in Emotional Pain
1 ASK It is okay to ask a person if they are feeling suicidal. While it is difficult to ask, studies have shown that talking about suicide does not increase rates of suicides or suicidal ideation.
2 KEEP THEM SAFE Reduce their access to lethal items or means. Make sure they are in a safe space where they are not at further risk.
3 BE THERE Listen to them. Acknowledge what they are going through and be there from them.
4 HELP THEM CONNECT Help them find resources.
5 STAY CONNECTED Postvention is an important part of suicide prevention. Keep in touch with the person and make sure they know that you are there for them.
