Suicide and Substance Abuse

I once took a call from my child who was threatening suicide. I can tell you nothing in my life, including my tour of duty in Vietnam, scared me more.

The good news is, I was seeing a counselor at the time and she told me that I should prepare for the possibility of such a call. We discussed it at length and I feel that perhaps the way I handled the call may have given my child the hope and support he needed to not follow through with the threat.

There is a suicide every 16 minutes in the U. S. Substance abuse is the biggest risk factor for suicide in America.

Edmond is hosting a “Suicide Prevention Summit” on Monday, April 23, at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Nigh Center, Constitution Hall. The event will be 6 to 8 p.m.

This program is specifically designed to equip every person, including children over the age of 12, with the proper tools to recognize the signs of someone who may be planning suicide and what they can do about it.

There will be several professional counselors explaining the tools available to you.

Here are some of the breakout sessions:

* QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer)

* Parents Helping Parents

* Heartline’s HELP Youth Suicide Prevention Training

* Signs & Symptoms of Adolescent Depression

* Youth Suicide Prevention Tool Kit

* Worried About Your Friend.

If you would like more information, please emailedmondparents@aol.com