World Suicide Prevention Day Event

The World Suicide Prevention Day Poster. Photo Credit: International Association for Suicide Prevention

On September 10th Dean college will be acknowledging World Suicide Prevention Day. The Director of Counseling Services Samantha Miller and clinician Melissa Freintag will be set up in the student concourse, inside the student center, at 11am – 1pm with resources and on and off campus support.

The International Association for Suicide Prevention, an organization dedicated to preventing and spreading awareness about suicide, explains “World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) was established in 2003…aimed at reaching national organizations, governments and the general public, giving a singular message that suicide can be prevented.”

Especially as students, the amount of stress and pressure put onto someone can be overwhelming. New environments, new schedules, workload, outside responsibility, and just trying to fit in can be difficult for a lot of people. The Center for Disease Control places suicide within the top 8 leading causes for death from people 10-64 in 2023. Some are more susceptible than others; people with mental health problems, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and different races and ethnicities from the CDC official page on suicide. Of course this is not the case for everyone, and there are many people out there who hope it will never be a case for everyone.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is offer support, share concerns to a trusted individual who may know what to do, and create an environment where people can be comfortable and safe. With how the world is now it may seem impossible, but plants grow back when the fires stop burning. Be sure to stop by the student concourse and talk to dean college counseling about what you can do to help.