\u201cOne of the myths surrounding suicide is that if you talk about suicide, it would give the idea to someone: \u2018Oh, I haven\u2019t thought about that; maybe I should kill myself.\u2019 But all the experts agree that it is just a myth. The best thing we can do is talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thus said Pacific Way Institute\u2019s Brian Farley, a member of the Suicide Awareness and Prevention Task Force formed by the Community Guidance Center.<\/p>\n
Considering that the suicide rate in the Commonwealth was reported to be high, the task force is intensifying its campaign on suicide awareness and prevention. This week, videos showing the narration of persons who attempted to commit suicide would be shown on local television.<\/p>\n
There are at least five new suicide-related incidents this month, according to Farley. Four of these involve Filipinos; two of them actually died. The incidents happened during the first week of April.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a female that was threatening to commit suicide at the [Northern Marianas] College,\u201d he added. Because of this, NMC counselors Susan Satur and Nancy Flood were not able to attend a task force meeting recently since they \u201chad an emergency at the college.\u201d<\/p>\n
CGC head Josephine Sablan disclosed that the survey results among 3,886 students from grade 6 to college, whose ages range from 10 to 20, were alarming.<\/p>\n
Results of the survey showed that 39 percent of the students surveyed \u2013 or 1,515 respondents \u2013 said that they have thought of attempting to commit suicide in the past 30 days.<\/p>\n
The report also showed that 23 percent of the respondents, or about 893 students, claimed they had actually attempted to commit suicide; 20 percent, or some 777 students, said they had planned how to take their own lives.<\/p>\n
Based on the survey, 40 percent of the respondents \u2013 or some 1,554 students \u2013 disclosed that they feel giving up is easier than facing problems; 70 percent, or 2,720 students, said they have felt very sad, alone, happy or ashamed.<\/p>\n
Sablan disclosed that the top seven reasons given by the students were family problems, cited by 65 percent of the respondents; anger, 55 percent; depression, 45 percent; scolding, 34 percent; relationship breakup, 21 percent; shame, 20 percent; and parents divorcing, 9 percent.<\/p>\n
Talk as prevention<\/p>\n
\u201cTo someone who is thinking to commit suicide, tell him to talk to somebody about his problem,\u201d Farley said. \u201cOftentimes, people would be prevented from learning suicide simply by talking about the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes, people who make suicide attempts or even talk about it, in a sense they\u2019re asking for help. It\u2019s a mistake to say \u2018Don\u2019t talk like that\u2019 or \u2018You\u2019re joking\u2019, or something like that,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen [thoughts such as] \u2018I feel like killing myself, I feel like going to sleep forever, I feel like nobody wants me, there\u2019s no reason for me to be around anymore, or the world will be a better place without me\u2019 — anybody who talks like that is really saying \u2018I really feel bad and I need somebody to recognize that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The right thing to do is to ask that person having suicidal thoughts if he is planning to take his life so that one can help him, Farley said. Referring this person to an adult, a professional counselor, priest, uncle or trusted member of the family would be appropriate.<\/p>\n
A former journalist, Farley also said not covering suicide incidents is wrong \u201cif you are a newspaper.\u201d Similarly, overplaying a suicide story should also be avoided, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son committed suicide six years ago, and I really want to see something done in this community to prevent other kids from doing the same thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Farley said he would donate to the CGC a suicide prevention kit for students, which he purchased from the United States mainland.<\/p>\n
Farley said that, based on the recommendation of Dr. Anthony Bottone of the Commonwealth Health Center, the adoption of suicide screening program for students and parents would be proposed for consideration by the task force.<\/p>\n
The SOS (Signs of Suicide) School Suicide Prevention Program is being implemented in the US, he added. The task force is working on the issue on how to incorporate suicide as a subject in CNMI schools.<\/p>\n
The task force is set to meet this week, to work on the creation of some six subcommittees that would be tasked with carrying out the 13 goals outlined by the group.<\/p>\n
The 13 goals are to:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Develop and implement public education programs;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Educate youths and adults about suicide prevention by developing and implementing community-based suicide prevention programs;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Increase harmony and reduce conflict among students and support multicultural diversity in order to provide a safe and supportive learning environment;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Provide media education and guidelines;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Provide education for professionals in the assessment and management of suicide risk, and identification and promotion of protective factors;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Provide gatekeeper training;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Implement screening and referral services;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Enhance crisis services;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Improve access to behavioral health care;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Provide skill-building support groups for youth;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Support suicide survivors;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Improve follow-up services for suicide attempters; and<\/p>\n
\u2022 Promote and support research evaluation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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