Photo Courtesy of Mars Huebler.

  It’s the middle of September and San Luis Obispo High School students have started to get accustomed to the year and exciting new events.

However, this also means it is Suicide Awareness Month.

Because of this, SLOHS and all clubs associated with it are providing support and resources for those in need. 

  Suicide rates among youths aged 14–18 years increased by 61.7 percent from 6.0 to 9.7 per 100,000 population. Minor things such as the fliers can go a long way with prevention and awareness. Tiger News Network also adds its own segment to bring awareness to suicide during every TNN video. 

  “What we have done is we put out a QR code flyer that’s around campus, and we’ve tried to make sure that we highlight the resources on the back of the ASB card,” said onsite counselor Chris Inman. 

  Suicide can be an incredibly sensitive topic, and talking about it with someone can be even more difficult. 

  “The level of compartmentalization that is required in these types of professions, it’s a lot,” said Inman. 

  Suicide should not be taken lightly, jokes and making fun of this can cause many problems. If you suspect that someone is having self-harm or suicidal thoughts, tell someone. 

  “I think the best thing you can do for a friend is to tell that friend’s counselor,” said Inman. 

  It may seem like an invasion of privacy or unethical to share this information, however all of this is done to protect them. And all conversations and interventions with this topic are completely confidential. The least you can do is reach out to someone. Asking how someone is doing can help so much.

  Being a steady pillar in a person’s life can be one of the most substantially effective things to do for a person. 

Source: www.suicideispreventable.org, jedfoundation.org, www.cdc.gov