Suicide Prevention Week was held between Sept. 9 through 12. The week aimed to help students and staff become more aware of suicide, to destigmatize mental illness and to hopefully make Doane a safer, healthier and kinder campus to those struggling.
“Suicide Prevention Week is important to highlight because it spreads awareness of mental health and you never know who is struggling. The week allowed students and professors to break the stigma around mental health and start to ask questions if they began having concerns about anyone. Community involvement is always important because mental health struggles are bigger than our Doane community,” Active Mind President and senior Abby Ulrich said.
Ulrich believes that suicide prevention takes an entire community to conquer. Events such as the Coffee with Counselors, Murals and Movies, Phone a Friend and the Color Walk all exist to show Doane students and staff that mental health issues are easier to handle with the support of others.
“Suicide prevention is everyone’s job. Bringing both the Doane community and Crete community together means we are all in this together strengthening our connection. I hope that students feel more connected to one another and feel more comfortable reaching out for services when they need them. I hope that students can recognize when a friend or someone they care about is struggling and help them to get the appropriate services,” Director of Counseling Services Darcy Dawson said.
Dawson hopes that this week’s events make students and staff realize how important it is to be there for one another and not shy away from difficult situations and hard conversations. She wants everyone to know that there is a vast support system at work for those who need it.
“It is important to have a suicide prevention week at Doane to remind students that they are not alone and there are resources for them on campus. Research tells us that talking about suicide actually lowers anxiety, and opens up communication lowering the risk of suicide,” Dawson said.
