Galena Student Shares Suicide Prevention Information For Community
October 3, 2019
Editor’s Note: Breanna Gregg, a student in the Biology of Public Health class at Galena High School, wrote the following article to share information with the community on the prevention of teen suicide. Later this month, Galena High School students will be given “mental health first aid training” to help identify someone who may need help and learn how to speak to those individuals.
Breanna Gregg
Suicide prevention week was September 8 through September 14, 2019. For suicide prevention week all of Galena High School’s Biology of Public Health class were asked to do a project. Many students chose to do a poster, a few students wanted to make shirts, and some wanted to write to local television stations and newspapers. For my project I wanted to write to the Crane Chronicle to inform the public about suicide and suicide prevention.
Not many people know that the second highest killer of teenagers is suicide, and that is a big deal. Many teenagers suffer from depression and/or an anxiety disorder. It is common for someone suffering from depression to also suffer from an anxiety disorder as well. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, states, “Depression is the most common condition associated with suicide, and it is often undiagnosed or untreated.” Not only is suicide a huge killer in teens, but also in adults. Suicide is the tenth leading cause in the United States. People also over look the fact that men are affected by suicide more often than women. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, states, “In 2017, men died by suicide 3.54x more often than women.”
Many people also don’t know the warning signs for suicide. Some behavioral changes could include an increased use of substances like alcohol or drugs. If the person is withdrawing from activities or isolating themselves from family and friends, those are also signs of a potential suicide. If anyone would like to know all signs, behavioral changes, treatment, and all things relating to suicide and prevention, visit https://afsp.org.
The rising crisis of suicide has caused some schools in the area to look into Mental Health First Aid Training. The three schools in the area that are going through this training include Galena High School, Glendale High School, and Kickapoo High School. The students grades 10th through 12th grade will be trained. The Mental Health First Aid training will be three training sessions at 75 minute increments. The training will not train us on how to diagnose whether or not someone has a mental illness. The training will teach students on how to spot the signs, how to talk someone away from suicide or suicidal thoughts, and gives resources to help. The training sessions will be taught by a trained professional from Burrell Behavioral Health.
Suicide prevention week was September 8 through September 14, 2019. For suicide prevention week all of Galena High School’s Biology of Public Health class were asked to do a project. Many students chose to do a poster, a few students wanted to make shirts, and some wanted to write to local television stations and newspapers. For my project I wanted to write to the Crane Chronicle to inform the public about suicide and suicide prevention.
Not many people know that the second highest killer of teenagers is suicide, and that is a big deal. Many teenagers suffer from depression and/or an anxiety disorder. It is common for someone suffering from depression to also suffer from an anxiety disorder as well. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, states, “Depression is the most common condition associated with suicide, and it is often undiagnosed or untreated.” Not only is suicide a huge killer in teens, but also in adults. Suicide is the tenth leading cause in the United States. People also over look the fact that men are affected by suicide more often than women. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, states, “In 2017, men died by suicide 3.54x more often than women.”
Many people also don’t know the warning signs for suicide. Some behavioral changes could include an increased use of substances like alcohol or drugs. If the person is withdrawing from activities or isolating themselves from family and friends, those are also signs of a potential suicide. If anyone would like to know all signs, behavioral changes, treatment, and all things relating to suicide and prevention, visit https://afsp.org.
The rising crisis of suicide has caused some schools in the area to look into Mental Health First Aid Training. The three schools in the area that are going through this training include Galena High School, Glendale High School, and Kickapoo High School. The students grades 10th through 12th grade will be trained. The Mental Health First Aid training will be three training sessions at 75 minute increments. The training will not train us on how to diagnose whether or not someone has a mental illness. The training will teach students on how to spot the signs, how to talk someone away from suicide or suicidal thoughts, and gives resources to help. The training sessions will be taught by a trained professional from Burrell Behavioral Health.