Every year, the month of September is nationally recognized as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in the United States.
Suicide is a major cause of death amongst teens and young adults, and it is of the utmost importance to have conversation about such a topic.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, suicide can be described as “when people harm themselves with the intent of ending their life, and they die as a result.”
An attempted suicide has a similar definition, only differing in the fact that the person attempting the suicide did not die.
In 2023, suicide was the second leading cause of death in the age range of 10-34 years old, behind unintentional injury.
The reason for one’s committing suicide cannot always be easily understood or solved. Every victim has an experience unique to them.
With that being said, typical propagation of suicidal thoughts comes from feelings of isolation, insignificance, hopelessness and lack of purpose in an individual.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) are described as “potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years)” according to the CDC. Examples of this could include experiencing or witnessing abuse or neglect in a familial or social setting. Children who experience ACEs are more prone to feelings of insignificance and hopelessness due to underdeveloped mental capacity and unbalanced family, peer or student-teacher dynamics.
On a psychological level, one’s mental illness could also lead to the commitment of suicide.
Clinical mental disorders such as anxiety, stress disorders, depression and bipolar depression can arise in an individual if the aforementioned feelings or ACEs are left unchecked or untreated.
Although these disorders can be acquired externally, there are some that can be acquired genetically, such as schizophrenia and depression in some instances.
Suicidal thoughts can even sprout from communal or societal stimuli, such as financial struggles, career insecurities or political unrest.
Dr. Kristy D. Fusilier, assistant director of the University of Louisiana Counseling and Testing Center and School Leaders Involved in Drinking and Drug Education (SLIDDE) coordinator, gave advice for one experiencing suicidal thoughts, stating, “It is important to not normalize suicidal thoughts. Seek help by reaching out to parents, friends, trusted adults, doctors, therapists, etc. at the first sign of difficulty in any area of one’s life (individual, relationship, community and/or societal). Even before having suicidal thoughts. You are not alone.”
Dr. Fusilier also gave a general list of direct and non-direct verbal warnings that people who are suicidal may display, including, but not limited to: “Expressing hopelessness about the future, have a recent severe loss, withdrawal from friends and/or social activities, increased use of alcohol and drugs.”
Dr. Fusilier also urges students to be familiar with the available resources that can help spread awareness of suicide and help its prevention.
This includes the prerecorded and on-demand Question, Persuade, Refer Suicide Prevention Course, which can be accessed at qprtraining.com/setup using the code “UOLL” to access through UL Lafayette. Other resources include the UL Counseling and Testing Center, which “provides personal counseling, crisis intervention and short-term psychotherapy for individuals, couples, families and groups” and “offers an unlimited number of free sessions to University students, faculty and staff.”
The Counseling and Testing Center has also partnered with Uwill, which offers students free access to teletherapy, mental health crisis support (available at 833-646-1526), medication management and wellness programming. This can be accessed at Uwill.com by using one’s UL email address.
If a person or their loved one is troubled by suicidal thoughts, it is of the utmost importance that these troubles be addressed immediately and brought to a trusted individual.
Life is worth living, and no one has to live it alone.