September has been Suicide Awareness Month for as long as we can remember. What many people don’t know is that Sept 10. is National Suicide Awareness Day. This day and month are set to help out and support those suffering and remember those we have lost to suicide.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly 45 thousand people die yearly of suicide. More people are dying of suicide over septicemia (blood poisoning) and chronic liver disease. Luckily, suicide is something people aren’t scared to bring up anymore and many people are willing to help those who are suffering.
“Many of our staff members have been trained in the areas of mental health, and the counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and Vera French therapists all have special training in suicide prevention,” stated Pleasant Valley High School counselor, Kerry Anderson. Anderson said there are always ways Pleasant Valley can improve their approach to helping students with mental health. However, they take issues of suicide, depression, and other mental health issues very seriously.
Anderson added, “students can help each other by learning the signs of a suicidal and depressed person, such as talking about wanting to end their life, looking for ways to end their life, talking about being a burden to others, and strange/quick mood swings. Listen carefully when a friend speaks and act accordingly. Most importantly, seek out the help of an adult so the student receives the help needed.”
At many schools in the surrounding area, it has become important to do a yellow out theme at football games. Danny Mclaughlin, senior and student section leader at Alleman High School in Rock Island said, “We always do a yellow out theme for suicide prevention at one of our football games because we think it’s important for our community to know that we support all those suffering. It’s a cool way for us to all come together and show support for something.”
Alleman wasn’t the only school in the nearby community who did a yellow out theme for suicide prevention, which shows how much we all support those suffering.
