There is a myth that the more people talk about suicide, the more they will be willing to attempt suicide. However, Elizabeth Rago, a clinical and disability services counselor at BYU–Hawaii Counseling Services, says talking about suicide helps save lives.
“All the statistics worldwide indicate the more we talk about it and raise awareness, the more people feel like they’re not alone,” said Rago. “We can have a part in essentially saving somebody’s life.”
Nomungerel Enkhtuvshin, a BYUH alumni from Mongolia who interns at Counseling & Disability Services, said September, which is National Suicide Prevention Month, provides an opportunity to open up about suicide. “Suicide is the most preventable death,” Enkhtuvshin emphasized. “With the appropriate mental health support and advocacy, suicide can be prevented.”
Rago said from her own experience, students—typically from Asia or the Pacific—wait until they are in a crisis before they decide to seek help. “I want to encourage students to just come in and talk about it with one of us,” she said.She emphasized students don’t have to be in a major crisis to go to the counseling center.
“Sometimes students come in because of a break-up, or because of something that happened in class they need to talk about, or when they have no one to talk to. Everything is confidential.”
Starting the conversation
“Suicide is a topic many people avoid because it is so painful to think about,” said Rago. “Nobody really wants to think about their loved ones, their friends or even acquaintances taking their own lives.”
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, suicide is “the second leading cause of death among college-aged students in the United States.”
In addition, Asian countries account for approximately 60 percent of the world’s suicides, as stated by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Because BYU–Hawaii’s student body is mainly represented by Asian and Pacific Islanders, Rago explained it has become a priority for the Counseling & Disability Services to bring awareness to the topic.
According to the American Association of Suicidology, 80 percent of students who die by suicide never contact mental health services, but 80-to-90 percent of people who seek treatment for depression, including suicidal thoughts, are treated successfully using therapy and/or medication. Those statistics show the importance of speaking up about suicide, emphasized Enkhtuvshin. “We are not afraid to talk about physical illnesses, so we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about mental health issues.”
Eliminating misconceptions
Everyone is prone to suicidal thoughts, said Rago, even the people you could never imagine feeling that way. “It could happen to anybody. All of us are vulnerable to having those thoughts.”
She said the director of counseling at the University of Pennsylvania died by suicide.
“Here we have an ivy league school, and we see even the director of counseling services, somebody who we consider the healthiest, is vulnerable to those feelings and actions.” Rago said mental health issues have increased during the pandemic, which makes suicide prevention even more important.
According to a recent survey by bestcolleges.com, “95% of college students have experienced negative mental health symptoms as a result of COVID-19-related circumstances” and “almost half (48%) believe the mental health effects have directly affected their education.”
Rago said increased mental health issues are one of the reasons everybody should attend the QPR trainings Counseling Services are offering.
QPR trainings
QPR, which is short for Question-Persuade-Refer, is a suicide prevention model used on many university campuses and in other workplaces, Rago said.
“QPR is like CPR,” explained Enkhtuvshina. “People are trained in an emergency response, and QPR is there for a suicide crisis. “It’s not only for people who struggle with suicidal thoughts. It’s also for students who have friends or family members who [have] suicidal thoughts. You’ll learn more about mental health and what to look out for in your friends and in yourself.”
She said people will also learn what steps to take when someone has suicidal thoughts. Rago said research has shown the best method in preventing suicide is building a wall of protection for the struggling individual.
This protection comes from surrounding the person with as many safe and supportive people as possible and access to resources such as those available at the Counseling & Disability Services, she added.
“I am emphasizing QPR because it allows us to build that wall together,” said Rago. “It would be so great if every faculty member and every student and every staff member went to QPR trainings so they would be more aware of what to do.”
Being there for loved ones
Jarom Cabigunda Perandos, a senior from the Philippines majoring in social work, said people should not be ashamed to ask their friends if they’re having suicidal thoughts. “When people start to talk about it and are more comfortable with it, we can actually prevent that high risk of suicide for college students.”
“Be that person others feel safe around. Be aware of your loved ones,” he shared. “Always check on them. Some of our friends who we think are the strongest are probably the most likely ones to [commit suicide].”
Perandos emphasized that suicidal thoughts and mental health issues can’t just be shrugged off. “You can’t just think positively. Challenges come.” He encouraged people to use all the resources they can, such as priesthood blessings, receiving emotional support from friends and family members, or getting professional help. He said these resources give the person options other than suicide.