CSU, UAFS officials see prevalence of suicidal subjects
Times RecordSep 02, 2018
"There are a lot of good men and women out here who need that help," Stevens said.
These numbers don't take into account the greater number of people who consider taking their lives but don't follow through.
"A lot of people are not able to cope with stress, and that is a go-to response," Cervantes said.
Regional prevalence, national crisis
Suicide took nearly 45,000 lives in
Suicide rates across the
On the
In its first three months of operation, CSU, which aims to divert the mentally ill in
"We typically have somebody here who is suicidal, unfortunately," said Cervantes.
Why it happens
Though the reasons for suicide and suicidal ideations differ for each person, Cervantes and Stevens have seen certain factors in the
Cervantes said drugs and poverty are inextricably linked to suicides in the region.
"It all kind of combines in, 'I am hopeless, I don't know what else to do, so I think I'll die,'" she said. "That's what we see."
On the flip side of narcotics, Stevens said suicidal ideations sometimes arise when people don't want to take anti-depressants or other prescribed substances for mental health disorders. He said he has seen this among the student population at UAFS.
Stevens also said suicidal thoughts among the student body are far more common at certain times of the school year.
"Those kinds of issues, especially with our students, happen during midterms, when a student starts to realize, 'Maybe my grades aren't where I wanted them to be.' We get a lot of them close to the holidays -- for a lot of students, the semester is winding down, and they have to go home. A lot of students have mixed relationships with family, so that, I think, can be a trigger at times," he said.
Cervantes said disorders like depression or anxiety can come into play, especially when something in life provokes people who have these disorders. An estimated 19.1 percent of adults in
Cervantes also said suicides of popular public figures -- most recently of TV personality and chef
"It gave children who aren't able to conceptualize it the idea that you can speak from the grave, and you really can't," she said. "When you're gone, you're gone, and people forget about you eventually."
Sharing pain
Though places like CSU, the UAFS counseling center and others in the
Cervantes said a first step someone can take to potentially prevent someone he or she knows from committing suicide is by asking about it. She said people who plan to commit suicide often will not talk about their thoughts.
"People want you to say, 'Hey, are you OK?' and address them straight-on," she said. "They don't want you to tiptoe around it, because they are going to be planning things and thinking, 'Man, nobody cares enough to just ask me.'"
Cervantes also said people who know someone who might be suicidal should reach out regardless of whether or not he or she understands that person's situation.
"People say, 'you can't help me,' or 'you can't fix my situation.' I can't fix your situation, but you'd be amazed if you just let me share your pain for a minute," she said.
"What I always tell students when they're interacting with a friend who is having suicidal thoughts is, the best thing he or she can do is let them know, 'I'm here for you, I care about you,' but also to understand he or she is not prepared or trained to help them at the level they need it," said Stevens.
In light of this dynamic, Cervantes and Stevens both said the
"It's something that doesn't end when you walk across that stage, so we need good men and women to go to work in this field," he said.
In the meantime, Cervantes said people who struggle with suicidal ideations in the
"Anyone who is struggling, reach out for help. Go walk into the nearest emergency room," she said.
"There's a stigma to it, but everybody needs help," Stevens said of suicidal thoughts. "I think if we could just accept that as being the truth, then maybe the stigma will go away, or start to go away.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and takes calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All calls are kept confidential.
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