friday, may 1.1931
daily nebraskan
page 3
Suicide Prevention Week
proclaimed for May 3-9
By Mary Louise Krupp
In an effort to stem the rising tide of
suicides in the United States, the American
Association of Suicidology has designated
May 3 through 9 as Suicide Prevention
Week, a mental health educator said Wed
nesday. Jose Soto of the Community Mental
Health Center, 2200 St. Mary's Ave., said
that during the week the mental health
center and social service organizations will
provide literature on other information on
suicide prevention, including the warning
signs of suicidal tendencies, specific steps
to take when faced with a suicide crisis and
a listing of community resources.
"We want to increase awareness of sui
cide and help people to recognize suicidal
behavior, Soto said.
Some of the warning signs associated
with the desire to commit suicide include
loss of interest, remarks such as "life isnt
worth living, or "1 wish 1 were dead,
withdrawing from friends and family,
giving away prized possessions or buying
a weapon, Soto said.
Severe or chronic depression may occur
in both adults and adolescents, but adole
scents generally tend to mask depression by .
acting very happy and carefree, Soto said.
Any type of suicidal behavior should be
taken seriously, he said.
Hopeless and alone
"A lot of people who think about
suicide feel hopeless and alone. If their
feelings are taken lightly, they will feel that
no one understands their problems, he
said.
Soto said it is untrue that discussing the
problem will encourage a person to com
mit suicide.
"They will probably be relieved that
someone asked them about it, he said.
It is also a myth that people who talk
about committing suicide are only doing it
to ventilate frustrations and will never
really kill themselves, he said. People who
talk about suicide wUl eventually attempt
it, he said.
A supportive attitude is extremely
important when dealing with a suicide
crisis, Soto said. Making suicidal persons
feel guilty by telling them how much they
have to live for or that they are "copping
out will only serve to intensify the prob
lem, he said.
Soto said he deals with suicide from the
standpoint that a suicidal person really
doesn't want to die, but is asking for help.
"Until the last minute of life, people are
still ambivalent about dying, he said.
"Many times workers are called to the
scene of a suicide with them (the suicide
victims) dead with their hands on the
phone, he said.
Desperate cry for help
Suicide is "a desperate cry for help, a
last attempt to make someone listen, Soto
said.
There are as many reasons why people
commit suicide as there are experts on the
subject, Soto said, but major causes include
lack of support from family and friends,
stress or the loss of a loved one.
College-age men are more prone to
commit suicide over fears of academic fail
ure, while suicide among women is usually
triggered by the loss of someone close to
them, he said.
Fear of a loss or of failure seems to be
the most common trigger for suicide
attempts, he said.
While the nationwide suicide rate for
people of all ages has remained fairly con
stant over the past 50 years, the suicide
rate for people ages 15 to 24 has tripled in
the last 20 years, Soto said.
The nationwide annual suicide ratio is
12S for every 100,000 people, Soto said.
Nebraskas suicide rate is slightly under
that at 9.2.
Soto attributed Nebraska's lower suicide
rate to the fact that Midwest families are,
on the whole, more cohesive and suppor
tive than families in other parts of the
country, where the suicide rate is higher.
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