Suicide Prevention at the University of Puget Sound
Concern about the possibility of suicide is understandable on any college campus. We know that suicide is the second-highest cause of death (following accidents) nationally for people in the college-age group. To continue the work of making Puget Sound as safe an environment as possible, we need suicide prevention to be everyone’s responsibility. None of us can see and hear all that goes on around us, so we all have to be alert to signs of distress in others.
On campus, we offer two suicide prevention and mental health promotion presentations through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention:
- “Talk Saves Lives” is a community-based presentation that covers the general scope of suicide, the research on prevention, and what people can do to fight suicide.
- Screenings and facilitated discussions of “It’s Real: College Students and Mental Health” an 18-minute documentary designed to raise awareness about mental health issues commonly experienced by college students. It’s Real conveys that depression and other mental health conditions are real illnesses that can be managed through specific treatments and interventions and encourages students to be mindful of the state of their mental health, to acknowledge and recognize when they are struggling, and to take steps to seek help.
To request the “Talk Saves Lives” or “It’s Real” workshop for yourself or your class/department/organization/club, please contact Danielle Bus, RN dbus@pugetsound.edu or fill out the online request form.
For more information, please refer to the campus suicide prevention plan. If you are looking for resources specific to faculty and staff, please go to Helping a Student.