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Marketing and University Communication UW-Green Bay, CL 815 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (920) 465-2626 E-mail: hildebrs@uwgb.edu Last update: 2/11/08 |
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In
the News Archive - Year:
February 7, 2008 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay chancellor By Kelly McBride
He has encouraged students to seek counseling if they are depressed or are having difficulty coping. Last year, he addressed the stigma associated with depression with an open letter to the campus community that talked about his son's suicide.
The university trains resident assistants to be alert for suicidal behavior, said Greg Smith, director of counseling services at UWGB. Friends and family members can remember the acronym "QPR" — for which there is training similar to CPR — to recognize and try to curb suicidal tendencies.
It stands for Question, to ask the person if he or she is suicidal; P, for persuading the individual to get help; and R, for resources, to direct an individual to find help.
Smith is encouraging increased suicide awareness after the Jan. 22 death of Scott Nichols, 32, who killed himself in an off-campus apartment.
Those close to Nichols knew he was suicidal and had helped him — or tried to — on several occasions. But the signs aren't always overt, Smith said. Friends and family should watch for things like suicidal talk, depressive symptoms, giving away personal items or collecting the means with which to kill oneself, such as stockpiling pills.
Perhaps most of all, they shouldn't be afraid to step in.
"I think there's a stigma," Smith said, "that you don't want your friend to think you're thinking that they might be suicidal. ... They just might say yes. That's a scary moment. ... The right thing to do is just push through this."
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