By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Bowling Green State University has daily events to shed light on the tragedy of suicide this month.
Suicide Prevention Month started Friday.
Those activities will culminate with a Neon Nights event on Sept. 28 from 7-10:30 p.m.
Neon Nights,, said Phil Hughes, assistant director of outreach in the Counseling Center, is an outgrowth of BGSU’s affiliation with the JED Foundation. It is the first institution in Ohio to stage Neon Nights.
The suicide prevention initiative was founded about 30 years ago by a family who lost a son to suicide.
BGSU is in its first year of a four-year commitment with the JED Foundation.
The foundation will help the university assess its mental health education and suicide prevention efforts. In the first year of the initiative, they will look closely at what is being done to provide mental health and suicide prevention services. BGSU officials will study what’s working and what’s not.
After the committee does its work this year, the foundation will conduct a two-day site visit, to review the findings and recommend ways of addressing the weakness.
Not that BGSU is waiting for a report to act. Every day this month, something is planned – workshops, drop-in groups, and Let’s Talk, 15-minute pop-in consultations.
On Thursday, Sept. 7, the documentary film “Each and Every Day” will be shown in the student union theater. The documentary explores youth mental health through the eyes of young people who have attempted suicide or have struggled with suicidal thoughts.
Also, the counseling services has personnel in about nine offices around campus that students frequent. This brings the services to them, rather than expecting them to come to the counseling center.
“We, as a center, have really worked to reduce barriers. … We have to be really creative to reach them.”
And the need is great, Hughes said. “A lot of students are in distress; a lot of students are struggling with mental health.”
The counseling center has seen an increase since the beginning of the semester.
Students understand the need, and when surveyed reported they would encourage their friends to seek help for mental health problems. However, Hughes said, the same survey found they were much less likely to seek help for themselves.
One of the JED Foundation’s goals is to get rid of the stigma surrounding talking about suicide.
Hughes said: “We’ve realized that saying ‘suicide,’ talking about suicide, asking those direct questions – Are you thinking about suicide? Are you thinking about hurting yourself? Do you have a plan to die by suicide? – that’s what people want. They want to know somebody is listening and that they care.”
The concern is that somehow this will plant the idea of suicide in some people’s minds. And there have been instances where one suicide leads to a contagion.
But people need to have the skills to talk about suicide, and how to handle it if someone opens up. “That’s really scary even as a clinician,” he said.
The person though needs to be supportive and guide them to the professional resources that are available on campus and in the community.
Neon Night and the monthlong lead up to it will help students get engaged in the effort.s
In the weeks leading up to the event, students and others interested will seek to raise money to assist the JED Foundation.
The fundraising goal is $10,000. They will also seek in-kind donations from businesses to help present Neon Nights.
On Sept. 28, students will gather, and parade through campus, stopping at three locations to pick up more glow items – hats, necklaces, face paint, and more. The parade will culminate in a glow party where participants will write messages of hope.
Neon Nights will put an exclamation mark on Suicide Prevention Month and set the tone for suicide prevention and mental health efforts throughout the year.
