Last week as a campus we recognized National Suicide Prevention Week with a number of activities organized by students involved in TWLOHA (To Write Love on Her Arms). Even though the week has now come to a close, I hope that the conversation does not. As peers, friends, teammates, and neighbors, we interact with each other on a more intimate level than many adults in our lives. It’s important to be aware of and sensitive to the warning signs that someone close to you needs help.
Things to be on the look-out for:
- Talking about wanting to die or to kill themselves
- Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live
- Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain
- Talking about being a burden to others
- Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs
- Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly
- Sleeping too little or too much
- Withdrawing or isolating themselves
- Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge
- Displaying extreme mood swings
At Greenville College, we are privileged to have a deeply caring counseling department, as well as a supportive community that wants to see us succeed. You can help just by being an active participator in our community, and by being sensitive and open to the needs of those around you.
“There is no shame in struggling. We all have permission to struggle, and you don’t have to do it alone,” Mallory Sample, campus counselor.
If you are concerned or uncertain about a friend, please talk to our campus counseling service or another trusted adult, or fill out a concern for others form. And if you yourself are feeling anxious, hopeless, or noticing any of the above signs in your own behavior, don’t hesitate to take advantage of the caring staff in our counseling services.
It’s important to know that if a situation is pressing and needs to be dealt with immediately, call 911 so that help can be on the way. Make sure to stay with the person, then offer to call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline with them while you wait for help. And always in these situations alert campus safety, Norm Hall, or Mallory Sample so that they can be on scene to help and assess the situation.
The contact info for our Campus Counselor, Mallory Sample:
Associate Dean of Counseling Services
Office: Library Rm. 222
Phone: (618) 664-6810
Email: mallory.sample@greenville.edu
Suicide Prevention Hotline:
1-800-273-TALK
