By Matt Kiernan
CCSU participated in Suicide Prevention Day for the first time last Thursday- an international event that seeks to spread awareness of signs of depression and suicidal tendencies in themselves and others.
CCSU hopes the event will catch on at the other CSU schools.
“We’re looking for the warning signs of depression and suicidal thoughts so we can provide students ways for getting help,” said Associate Director of the Counseling and Wellness Center Victoria Ginter.
Students who wanted to analyze their own behavior last Thursday were given questionnaires that touched upon subjects ranging from if their moods changed quickly from day to day to whether they felt consistently depressed.
The Counseling and Wellness Center tabled last Thursday outside Memorial Hall to condust tests with students.
If the analysis shows that there are signs of depression or suicidal thoughts, students are asked if they’d like to seek additional information for treatment.
“The test is given from the Question Persuade Refer Institute and is used to learn the signs a student may have of depression,” said Meagan Wentz, wellness program administrator.
The day, which was put together by the Natural Helpers and Director of the Counseling and Wellness Center Timothy Corbitt, was held on campus in coordination with World Suicide Prevention Day. The analysis materials were paid for by a suicide prevention grant the university received.
Establishment of the Suicide Prevention Day was planned to be a piloted outreach into the rest of the CSU system. The day is a relatively new idea in addition to depression screenings.
Students who may have issues with depression or feel they need treatment can visit the Counseling and Wellness Center to meet with counselors who can listen to what they have to say and go on from there if treatment is necessary.
Depression in college students may be caused by being away from home or adjusting to new surrounding, among a variety of other college-specific causes.
If students know someone who may be suicidal, they are urged to seek help and avoid leaving them alone. Some risk factors of suicide may be a family history, family violence or depression, among other things.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the use of a psychotherapy called cognitive therapy has reduced the chances of repeated suicide attempts by 50 percent. People vary with illnesses and may have different types of depression, which dictates the type of treatment.
The Counseling and Wellness Center is located in Marcus White and is open to all students seeking help for themselves or for others.
