Collegiate Times

The collegiate experience is bound together with the friends and associations made in a variety of venues. It?s a fact that students are busy ? aside from the stress of classes, many students devote their time into school organizations, jobs and their social lives. But because of the demands on students? lives, sometimes the warning signs of suicide can go unnoticed.

The Cook Counseling Center is hosting a Suicide Intervention Skills Training to alert the community of the stress and pressures that could result in suicide. While it is a two-day program of training, the center assists students year-round to help prevent suicide within the community.

The training, held yesterday and today in Squires Student Center, is open to members of the Virginia Tech community who regularly assist students.

?It?s designed for professionals who work with students in the mental health field, and we offer it to the university community, and not just for faculty and staff and residential advisors. It?s also for community providers, such as psychiatrists and others who might get referrals in the counseling center,? said Teresa Quisenberry, administrative assistant at the Cook Counseling Center.

The services provided at the Cook Counseling Center are not unlike universities across the nation, where the potential loneliness and solitude of college living might have disastrous results.

Morton Silverman, senior advisor of The Suicide Prevention Resource Center, said, ?The programs have shown to be effective in identifying who are far at risk. As well as educating others to look for and assist their peers who have the signs and symptoms, but are not aware themselves. It serves a number of functions. Depression is a very common illness in our society. It is very important to teach others very early as possible.?

?It?s important because it brings out the important and it provides credit training for professionals. It?s such an important topic, we feel that any kind of skills training we provide is helpful,? said Quisenberry.

The Suicide Awareness Voices of Education reported that suicide is the third leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 24. 31,000 lives are lost annually.

?The rates are just so high in the college age, there is something we have to do there. And suicide is caused by a psychiatric illness at the time of death. We have to educate kids about the illness,? said Patty Johnson, Program Director at Suicide Awareness Voices of Education.

Silverman said that depression is a serious illness and it has a lot of consequences that interfere with anyone?s ability to function.

?A very small percent of people who develop depression become suicidal and the whole idea is to prevent people from getting ill,? he said.

The tension related to moving away from home to attend college is a large factor that may cause depression, Johnson said.

?The extra stress can push someone overboard, and the depression can kick in with extra stress. It?s really important for college campuses to get the word about it because that?s usually when depression can come about,? she said.

Johnson said that initial symptoms of depression or suicidal tendencies occur when students lessen their class attendance or participation. Student?s appetites may change, causing them to gain or lose excessive weight. Johnson also indicated that students may become moody and have abnormal sleeping habits.

?For suicide prevention, if they?re talking about taking their own life or nonchalantly mentioning they weren?t around anymore ? they should take those symptoms or warning signs very, very seriously,? she said.

The Cook Counseling Center offers individual and group counseling as well as intervention and therapy. They suggest that peers? should communicate effectively, listen carefully and act with a sensitive concern when they suspect anyone in need of assistance. Further concerns can be discussed through help or intervention from the center.

?It?s really important about awareness because that?s when people are really affected. We have to really do something. It?s something that has to be addressed,? Johnson said.