Yellow Ribbon hosts discussion on suicide in French Auditorium
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in 2013 suicide was the number one killer among freshmen.
These were just some of the statistics Central Michigan University students heard at a suicide awareness and prevention presentation Monday, Feb. 23 in French Auditorium.
The event was put on by CMU's Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention registered student organization, and featured Dave Opalewski, a professor in his ninth year in the teacher education program at CMU.
Author of two books: "Answering the Cry for Help" and "Confronting Death in the School Family-Grades K-12," he also serves on the advisory board for suicide prevention for Chicago Public Schools.
Opalewski is a faculty member for the National Institute for the Trauma and Loss for Children
"What grieves me is this taking the most precious resource we have in our country away from us, and that's you people," he told an audience of about 40. "You are our future."
Illinois senior Anastacia Thomas, president of Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention, talked about the importance of these types of events in order to get people discussing suicide and the seriousness of the issue.
"We host biweekly meetings to try to improve awareness about suicide and try to hold events like this to just get people talking about it," she said.
Opalewski has had eight years experience in crisis counseling for highly at-risk individuals, and is actively involved in raising awareness about suicide by speaking at schools and conferences around the state and various student and Greek life organizations on campus.
He shared statistics about suicide and discussed important steps one can take in order to help a friend in crisis who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts or considering taking their own life.
One of the themes Opalewski stressed throughout the presentation was suicide is preventable, and everyone can take a proactive approach to helping friends and loved ones through a difficult time, even by doing something as simple as listening and not being judgmental.
He said suicide usually manifests itself over a long period of time, and it doesn't just happen all of a sudden.
"Nobody is a nobody," he said. "Anybody can make a positive difference."
