Wellbeing offers suicide prevention

By Vaughn Keeney

Contributer

According to a 2021 study from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is considered a societal epidemic, as someone in the U.S. dies by suicide every 11 minutes. Annually, this translates to approximately 50,000 Americans.

The university’s Wellbeing Center, located on the first floor of Schwartz Hall, hopes to bring awareness and perspective to this preventable loss of life. 

The Wellbeing Center offers QPR training—which stands for question, persuade, refer—and is a 2-hour session where students and faculty can gain what Erin Duff, the university’s wellbeing specialist, refers to as “soft skills.”  

Duff gives students the tools to “have conversations around a tough subject that can be challenging and anxiety provoking.”  

Offering hope through positive action is the motto of QPR, though it is not a substitute for counseling or treatment. QPR sessions are interactive and participation-based, and the attendees seemed engaged and willing to share their own experiences and be vulnerable. 

Psychology major Nora Losty, a sophomore, said the issue is close to her heart and “because it is such a taboo topic, not a lot of people want to talk about it, and knowing about these things prevents things in the future.”  

Losty pointed out that death makes people uncomfortable, which leads to contrived ignorance surrounding suicide, which is a shame when suicides are preventable if the signs are recognized early enough. 

If someone is concerned about a friend or family member committing suicide, they should look out for direct verbal clues, indirect verbal cues and behavioral clues.  

If they suspect that someone else is thinking of committing suicide, first the concerned party should question the person. Ask them how they are and make sure to use an even and kind tone.  

“How you would want someone to ask you is how you should talk to someone else,” Duff said.  

The next step is to persuade them to seek help.  

Remind them that, as psychology major Alex Cruz Velasquez, a junior, said, “the storm doesn’t last forever.”  

The last step is to refer them to resources where they can seek help.  

All session participants left with a pamphlet full of contact numbers to refer to if they or someone they know is struggling. 

When asked what they learned from QPR training, Cruz Velasquez said, “I hadn’t thought about the difference between a less direct versus more direct approach.”  

Cruz Velasquez also said that they felt they gained a “small sense of community” after the session.  

Completing the QPR training rewards participants with a certificate confirming their QPR-certified status, which remains valid for 2 years before it needs to be renewed.  

This certificate can be put on a resume to help the applicant stand out, especially someone interested in a career in social work. QPR training is offered once a week, and the dates are posted on OwlConnect with an option to RSVP beforehand.  

The Wellbeing Center also offers a mental health first aid training session for anyone looking to delve deeper into mental health training. 

If you are struggling with suicidal ideation, please call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or text “HOME” to 741741 to talk to a trained volunteer crisis counselor. Help is available; it is never too late. 

VOL. 64- ISSUE 2