Ask, listen, refer. These are three things that Southeast Missouri State University counselor Torie Grogan says are vital to destigmatizing suicide prevention effiorts.
This is also the name of a pop-up shop which counselors are hoping will increase access to suicide prevention resources in a more welcoming, open environment during Suicide Prevention Week Sept. 9-13.
Although suicide is the second leading cause of death among all individuals ages 10-34, Grogan says a lot of onset of mental health concerns, such as anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, are seen in ages 18-24, which they also notice is the traditional college student population.
“A lot of times, students might be just experiencing an initial onset of symptoms, and then we know all the stressors that can come along with adjusting to a new environment and wanting to really have students be more aware of what those symptoms look like,”
Grogan says if they can intervene early, there are better outcomes with treatment.
At the pop-up shop today, students will be offered online training which will show them how to help a friend, and learn warning signs and risk factors.