2012 National Suicide Prevention Week

by Michelle Saport  |   

More than 1,100 college students complete suicide each year. But suicide can be prevented. The most effective way to prevent suicide is to be aware of the warning signs and know the resources that are available.

Recognize the warning signs for suicide risk:

  • Acquiring means to complete suicide
  • Feeling hopeless or purposeless
  • Overly withdrawn, feeling depressed or worthless
  • Talking about wanting to kill oneself
  • Increased substance use
  • Dramatic mood changes
  • Uncontrolled anger
  • Being overly isolated

Help is available and effective.

  • The Student Health and Counseling Center in Rasmuson Hall, Suites 116 & 120, provides free counseling to full-time students and same-day appointments are available. For appointments and information, call (907) 786-4040.
  • The Psychological Services Center in Social Sciences Building, Room 255, is a training clinic that provides counseling for families and individuals. For more information, call (907) 786-1795.
  • The Campus Police Department is available 24/7 to assist in emergencies. Call (907) 786-1120.
  • The Alaska Careline is a 24-hour crisis hotline staffed by trained Alaskans. Call (877) 266-4357 if you or someone you know is in crisis.

Get trained in suicide prevention.
To learn more about suicide prevention, you are invited to sign up for the CAFE workshop "Help Prevent Student Suicide: A Workshop for UAA Faculty." This training is designed to help UAA faculty recognize suicide risk and feel confident intervening with students who may be suicidal.

During this training, you will learn about the verbal and behavioral clues associated with suicide risk among college students, how to encourage help-seeking and how to provide information about campus and community support services.

There are no prerequisites to take part in this training and everyone is welcome!  Sign up today to join the community of gatekeepers on the UAA campus!

During the fall semester, workshops will be held:

  • Sept. 20, 10-11 a.m., Gordon Hartlieb Hall, Room 105
  • Oct. 19, 10:30-11:30 a.m., UAA/APU Consortium Library, Room 304
  • Nov. 7, 9-10 a.m., Gordon Hartlieb Hall, Room 103

Sign up for these trainings through the CAFE website.

Information provided by the UAA Integrated Suicide Prevention Initiative (UAA-ISPI). Please visit www.uaa.alaska.edu/ispi for more information.

Creative Commons License "2012 National Suicide Prevention Week" is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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