By Ashley Saleh/reporter
NE counselor Miranda Thornton and NE adviser Mike Fowler talked to students about recognizing the signs of suicide Oct. 12.
Students learned how to respond to people who are contemplating suicide.
Thornton and Fowler addressed various risk factors linked to suicide attempts, such as mental health issues, access to means of completing a suicide attempt and family history of suicide.
“Asking if someone is thinking about killing themselves is shown to reduce the likelihood that the person will kill themselves,” Thornton said.
Fowler told students there are ways to gauge if a person is potentially suicidal.
“Some of the signs are obvious, like talking about wanting to die or wanting to kill themselves,” he said. “Others aren’t so obvious, like a dramatic shift in mood, increased risky behavior and feeling empty or hopeless.”
Thornton also spoke about the mindsets of those who attempt suicide, saying not everyone who contemplates suicide intends to die.
“At the end of the day, we can’t save everyone,” she said. “We can give them tools. And we can attempt to help them. But at the end of the day, everyone must make the choice to save themselves.”
