HAPPY 4/20! LOOK FOR MORE POT LEAVES IN THIS ISSUE FOR WEED TRIVIA! April 20, 2016 | Midwestern State University | thewichitan.com | Your Campus. Your News. | Vol. 80 No. 25
Save lives, know the signs Suicide prevention training hits close to home BY ALLISON ASHCRAFT AND KARA McINTYRE
PHOTO BY DEWEY COOPER | THE WICHITAN
Lori Arnold and Vikki Chaviers, counselors, introduce the QPR suicide training program on April 14.
For keepers” Payroll on how to look Director Kathy for signs of suicide and Rice, last week’s how to handle getting help) since training on suicide prefall 2013. It is offered to students and vention hit close to home. faculty at least once per semester, as well as With teary eyes and Kleenex in special groups on campus such as residents, hand, she expanded on her personal advisors, and campus police officers. Approxiexperiences with this topic. mately six faculty and staff members attended the “I’ve been thinking about [QPR April 12 training session. training] a lot because I had a nephew “If faculty and staff don’t go to the training, they that committed suicide. It’s important that might miss some of the signs,” Albert Jimenes, campus people go to training like that because colpolice sergeant, said. “It could be something small that lege age is such a vulnerable age for suicide,” a student may send in an email or some kind of reach for Rice said. “When my nephew committed help, but if the professor or staff member doesn’t know suicide, I didn’t see those signs that they diswhat’s going on, we could miss giving them the help they cussed. 20 years later it’s still hard to know, ‘Did need.” I miss something?’” There were about eight students at the April 14 session, and During the training, counselors Lori Arnold upon the end of the workshop, they all became certified gateand Vikki Chaviers explained keepers complete with a certificate. that sometimes the evidence of Arnold said it’s important to cast a wide net a suicidal person is obvious, but of people who can look out for students who may other times it’s hard to spot. be thinking about suicide, but training other “The warning signs might students is also necessary. look different to each person, “Professors and staff members are around but generally the number one students from time to time, and have some thing to look for is signs of depresaccess to them, but the students are probably sion. The training teaches us that going to be around other students more than about 90 percent of people who attempt they are faculty and staff,” Arnold said. “The KATHY RICE suicide are depressed,” Arnold said. “It’s a more people that are trained, the more PAYROLL DIRECTOR really important issue to address, especially people that can be helped.” since suicide can be very preventable. But the Rice, who attended the faculty QPR signs aren’t always obvious because people can mask their training, said that college students are at a vulnerable emotions.” age for suicide because they can’t often see that their She expanded on the importance of asking somesituation will improve. one if they’re thinking about suicide despite the com“Students from the age of high school through mon fear of bring up the subject. After all, according college have a different view of the world than to the American Association of Suicidology, suicide is someone with more life experiences. So a lot of the second leading cause of death for individuals in times, they don’t have that foresight to know the 18-25 age group. that it’ll get better and that it’ll pass,” Rice said. “Sometimes we’re worried that asking the ques“Ninety-nine percent of the time, things will tion can put the thought in someone’s mind, which get better.” isn’t true. Talking about suicide isn’t going to inWhitney McDade, nursing junior, said crease someone’s risk of doing it,” Arnold said. “It’s she came because QPR was on one of her almost always scary and difficult to ask if someone tests and she thought it would be cool to is thinking about committing suicide, but it’s one find out more. of those situations where you have to take a deep “It’s cool that we’re certified gatekeepbreath, summon your courage, and just say, ‘Are ers,” McDade said. you thinking about suicide or hurting Victoria Post, nursing junior, said she yourself?’ or ‘Do you definitely feels more equipped now to ever wish you could handle a situation in which she might go to sleep and never have to help a fellow student contemplatwake up?’” ing suicide. Arnold said they “It’s stuff we’d covered in class, so we have been doing the can feel assured we were getting the best QPR training (Quesinformation,” Post said. tion, Persuade, Refer — a Tips for suicide prevention included nationwide training prophrases to listen for when talking to a gram to help create “gatesee QPR pg. 5
“20 years later it’s still hard to know, ‘Did I miss something?”