{"id":57408,"date":"2020-12-03T09:35:56","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T15:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=57408"},"modified":"2020-12-03T09:35:59","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T15:35:59","slug":"light-in-the-dark-presentation-teaches-suicide-prevention-from-a-christian-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=57408","title":{"rendered":"Light in the Dark presentation teaches suicide prevention from a Christian perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BY CJ GIBSON
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Disclaimer: The Light in the Dark presentation discusses the sensitive topics of suicide, self-harm, and Christianity, which may be upsetting to some readers. Continue at your own discretion.<\/em>
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Last month, Kelly Center counselors Sadie Spurlock and Kenton Olliff provided a free suicide prevention training event in the Black and Gold Room of the Memorial Union.
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Milk and cookies were provided to participants before the session, and afterwards all attendees were given a $5 Starbucks gift card.
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First, Spurlock shared some statistics and facts about suicide. 
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\u201cMore than 44,000 people die by suicide each year, which averages about 121 deaths a day, so this is a huge issue that we face,\u201d Spurlock said. 
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Spurlock also explained that suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents, and the second cause of death among college students. 
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According to Spurlock\u2019s presentation, there are two tiers to be considered when examining signs of suicide.
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Tier one includes urgent signs, such as looking for methods to commit suicide, talking about death, and not being able to find a will to live.
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Tier two includes subtle signs, such as hopelessness, acting recklessly, increasing alcohol or drug use, withdrawing socially, insomnia, and dramatic changes in eating patterns.
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If these signs are apparent, Spurlock suggested that people should directly ask whether someone is suicidal. 
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\u201cIt\u2019s a commonly held belief that asking about suicide actually increases suicidal thoughts, and that has actually been proven to be a myth,\u201d Spurlock said. \u201cResearch has shown us that asking about suicide actually creates a sense of acceptance or belonging and challenges the perspective of burdensomeness.\u201d
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Spurlock emphasized the importance of paraphrasing the person\u2019s feelings back to them when listening to the concerns of others.
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\u201cWe also want to avoid turning the conversation to yourself,\u201d she said. \u201cWhile I understand that that\u2019s us trying to connect with that person and build rapport, it can actually minimize that person\u2019s experience, and so we want to try and avoid turning the conversation to ourselves if it\u2019s not going to be helpful in the moment and if it\u2019s going to take away from what they\u2019re experiencing.\u201d
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Spurlock presented the different spiritual tools that people can use to help overcome suicidal thoughts and Bible verses associated with each topic:
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WISDOM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n