INTERVIEW: Preventing Suicides

There is a new concern about suicide among students. Nationwide, 16 percent of students in grades nine through 12 said they had seriously considered suicide.  A new national effort, which kicked off this week, aims at changing the statistics for the better.

“It is a major problem. It is a major public health issue,” U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin said. “We can use comprehensive community approaches to preventing suicide.”

The effort aims to decrease the stigma, isolation and violence around suicide, Benjamin said.

With 100 Americans committing suicide daily, locally, an organization is taking the effort seriously.

“We take 42,000 calls per year,” Crisis Connection Manager Laura Weber said. “These are folks that are desperate and want to call a crisis line to find help.”

The phone lines have been busier than ever at Crisis Connection with more than 700 calls per week from across the state, Weber said.

The state is working on putting more call centers in across the state so that if people need help, they can call and talk to someone who will listen, Weber concluded.