Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 24. It impacts those in all ethnicities and socioeconomic positions.
On Thursday Feb. 15, the Student and Community Engagement office hosted a Sinclair Talks presentation called SOS: Signs of Suicide to combat this.
The event featured local student art on the topic and also provided information to students about suicide, as well as tips on how to help those that suffer from thoughts of self harm.
Eric Henderson, a counselor, and Alicia Schroeder, Manager of Accessibility and Counseling Services, hosted the event and started off by talking about some of the myths associated with suicide.
One such myth was the idea that talking to someone about suicide makes them more likely to commit the act, while the opposite is true. Suicide is typically a pre-planned action, and is rarely an impulsive decision.
Henderson then listed off statistics about those affected by suicide, stating that “females attempt suicide three times more often than men… however men die by suicide 3.5 times more often than women, because they take more lethal means.”
On average there are about 117 suicides per day.
Schroeder spoke about several risk factors and warning signs for students to be on the lookout for. Risk factors include substance abuse, feelings of hopelessness or helplessness, a lack of social support and easy access to lethal means.
Some of the warning signs include changes in demeanor and attitude, giving away personal belongings, tying up loose ends and individuals letting themselves go.
Schroeder then spoke and listed the different resources available on campus for students suffering from depression.
These included the crisis text service, the counseling service office, accessibility services office, campus police and multifaith campus ministry.
Henderson and Schroeder encourage all students who are, or who know someone, dealing with suicidal thoughts to take advantage of these resources.
The centerpiece of the event was a traveling exhibition, from where the event got its name. It is the second year for SOS and includes 30 new four by eight foot paintings made by over 15 artists. The artists are members of K-12 gallery and Teen Educational & Joint Adult Studio (TEJAS).
TEJAS is a regional visual arts center located in Dayton that offers several visual arts programs for citizens of all ages. Among other things, they include art classes, art camps, professional exhibitions (such as SOS) and community outreach opportunities.
All of the paintings have some connection to suicide, many using song lyrics, or references to literature related to the topic.
They are traveling to 20 different locations and will be seen by an estimated 20,000 students, teachers and community members. They can be seen at Sinclair in the loggia area until March 12.
Following this, Kates Brommeland, Coordinator of Student and Community Engagement, introduced three representatives from the club, Vice President Chumani Bowser, Treasurer Annie Polakowski and artist Nicolette Sapp.
“One of the reasons we decided to work on the project was because of the personal connection a lot of the members had with the topic,” Bowser said.
Bowser then went on to explain the purpose and goals of the project.
“I think doing this project helps spread awareness, and also helps put out those emotions in a creative way that brought us together,” Bowser said.
All three artists expressed gratitude to the program for allowing them to express their feelings and giving them a voice and purpose.
Both Schroeder and Henderson called for students to reach out to fellow classmates dealing with this issue, as well as other students they see distressed on campus by offering assistance and information for resources on campus they can use.
“Being able to reach out to people you may see that look like they are struggling or upset, and trying to get them connected to our office would be a great thing,” Henderson said.
For those struggling with depression, there are national resources available. The National Suicide Prevention hotline provides free and anonymous assistance and can be reached at 614-221-5445 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Crisis Text Line offers 24 hour, 7 day per week text contact with trained crisis counselors. They can be reached by texting “LISTEN” to 741-741.
Henry Wolski
Executive Editor