Brain Matters S14.E02: Suicide Awareness Week

[00:00:00] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. [00:00:41] Speaker B: It's six o' clock in time again for Brain Matters, the official radio show of the UA Counseling Center. We are broadcasting from the campus of the University of Alabama. Good evening. My name is Dr. BJ Gunther and I'm the host of the show along with my colleague and producer Kathryn Howell. And in case you don't know, this show is about mental and physical health issues that affect college students and in particular UA students. So you can listen to us each night, each Tuesday night actually at 6pm on 90.7 FM or online at WVUAFM UA. Edu or you can down one of your favorite apps, I like the MyTuner radio app and just type in WVUAFM 90.7 and you'll find us there. Also, this is our second show of the fall semester, so the second show of the academic year because we do shows in the spring too. But if you're listening and you have any ideas for upcoming show topics, email those to me@brain mattersradiobuafm ua edu and of course I'll consider using your topic. Most everything is on the table, so if you have not heard us talk about a certain topic and something that may be trending in college mental health that I'm not aware of, or just in mental health in general, please email those to me. Again, it's Brain MattersRadioJuAFM UA EDU and I'll try to remember to give out that email address periodically throughout the show. But today we're talking about a topic that's incredibly important to the well being of our University of Alabama community, and that's Suicide Prevention and Awareness. September is Suicide Prevention Month and here at ua, Suicide Awareness Week gives us an opportunity not only to talk about suicide, but also to talk about connection, recognizing when someone may be struggling and knowing how to reach out for help. Joining me today is Victoria Winningham, Assistant Director of Suicide Prevention at the University of Alabama at the Counseling center here. Victoria is an LPC Licensed Professional Counselor and works specifically with Suicide prevention awareness and Education at the University Hey, Victoria, thank you for being on the show. [00:02:47] Speaker C: Hey, bj, thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here. [00:02:50] Speaker B: I'm so glad we're having this conversation. You know, when I first started this Show Back in 2013, I wrote it up as a call in show. And we've tried to do that a few times, like a live call. And for years we did a live show until Covid hit. Right. And we had to start recording the show. And so my fear, I knew we needed to talk about suicide at some point, but I always was afraid if we did a live call in show, what that would look like. I was a little bit worried about that, to be honest. And sometimes people are really scared to talk about it. Have you found that to be true in your role at the counseling center? [00:03:38] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. Because suicide is a scary topic. When people just hear the word suicide, it's, it's a heavy word. It's a heavy topic. People don't know how to talk about it. So it's, it's just a very taboo topic. And unless you are educated about it, people just aren't really aware of it. [00:03:58] Speaker B: No. Tell before we, before we move on, I meant to ask you tell the listeners a little bit more about yourself and your credentials. I mentioned you're an lpc, but maybe any more credentials that you want to add and why you're interested in this topic? [00:04:13] Speaker C: Yeah. So as BJ said, my name is Victoria Winningham. I have been an LPC since 2022. I went to school here at the University of Alabama. Yes. And suicide prevention is just something that is near and dear to my heart for many, many reasons. I know some people personally who have died by suicide and I just feel like on college campuses it is a topic that needs to be explored more, more widely. Mental health in general needs to be explored more widely. So that's, that's why I'm in this role. [00:04:52] Speaker B: You know, I'm glad you said mental health needs to be explored more. Anyway, I feel like it's just an ongoing, you know, when I first started working here, talking about mental health in general was hard anyway. But it's still hard even though we've made a lot of strides, don't get me wrong. But it's still hard to talk about. And it, I feel like more people are open to it, but it's still very difficult to talk about. And yes, the topic of suicide is just. You said taboo and it can be. It can be. What about, you know, I mentioned September Suicide Prevention Month, and UA is observing Suicide Awareness Week. Why is it important for a university community to have these conversations? [00:05:41] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. So one of the things that we have done for. In preparation for Suicide Awareness Week here at the University of Alabama is on Sunday, which was the beginning of Suicide Awareness Week, we set out 1100 purple flags around any chimes in honor of college students across America who have died by suicide. So it is. That is a big number, if you think about it. [00:06:11] Speaker B: And that number in total, or is that since the beginning of the academic. Is there a start date or is that just in total? [00:06:20] Speaker C: That is from the 2024 statistics. [00:06:24] Speaker B: Okay. [00:06:24] Speaker C: According to the CDC website, because there's so much data, it takes a little bit of time to collect all that data. So they're usually about two years behind. So those are 2024 statistics. So we're hoping 2025 will be lower. But that's just one of the many reasons. If you walk around any times and just see the visual of those flags representing one. Each flag representing one single person. That's why suicide needs to be discussed on college campuses. [00:06:57] Speaker B: Yes. You know, I'm trying to think of why this matters so much when we say suicide prevention. What do you wish every student understood about what that actually looks like? [00:07:13] Speaker C: Well, I wish that students could learn to not be afraid to ask people, are you doing okay? How are you doing? Because just one little single question like that can change somebody's whole perspective of their day. Just to know that somebody cares and to know that it's okay to help somebody else, it's okay to offer help to somebody else. Even if you're not a trained professional, even if you're not in the mental health field at all, you still have the potential to help somebody who is suffering in that way. And I just wish more people or more students would become educated for that purpose to know that it's okay to offer help. [00:07:56] Speaker B: Yeah. I've been here long enough to unfortunately, have been associated with suicides on this campus. And I'm trying to think most, if not all of the students who have killed themselves did not give us a chance here at the counseling center to intervene. And that's so sad to me, because there's always a chance if somebody does reach out. [00:08:33] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:08:34] Speaker B: Sue. [00:08:34] Speaker C: People think that suicide is unpreventable sometimes, but it is absolutely preventable, I think. So if people can get the help. [00:08:44] Speaker B: What about the stigma? You know, there can be a lot of stigma and discomfort like we're talking about. About talking about suicide. Does. Talking about suicide, does it actually increase the risk or can it be preventative? I mean, you just said basically, yes, it can be preventative. But I think some people think it's going to cause somebody to kill themselves. If you talk about it, what, what is. Do you know the statistics on that? Not to put you on the spot, [00:09:10] Speaker C: but yeah, I don't know the actual statistics, but I do know that is one of the things we talk about in some of the trainings we do for suicide prevention is the myth that talking about it will cause it. Talking about it does not put in somebody's head, oh, I need to go kill myself. You know, that is not what it does. It put in. It puts into somebody's head, okay, there is help out there. Maybe I can get some help. Maybe I can feel better. It is absolutely better to talk about it than to not talk about it. But that the stigma around that is, you know, for one, it's scary. For one, it's heavy. People don't know how to talk about it, and so therefore they don't talk about. About it. Yeah. [00:09:56] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, and I was just talking to a student this afternoon about. And you've probably encountered this too, and I bet Katherine has too. Sometimes I feel like students are scared to admit to us as therapists that they are having those thoughts because I think they are under the misnomer that we're going to put them in the hospital. Like, I've had students tell me that before. And so I have to explain, no, that is not necessarily true because there are steps that we look at as professionals before we make a decision like that. Many people have suicidal thoughts or ideation, but there's. But may not have intention or plan or they may have protective factors. Can you agree with that? [00:10:42] Speaker C: I agree 100% with that. Suicidal ideations are completely different than having a plan and having an intent. Absolutely, I agree with you. [00:10:52] Speaker B: Bj what about college students dealing with academic pressure, relationships, financial stress, loneliness. I'm hearing more about loneliness, family issues and so much more. What are some of the circumstances that can leave a student particularly vulnerable? [00:11:10] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, all mentioned above. Absolutely. Because one of the biggest things that we've seen here at the counseling center are relationship problems and academic stress. This being causes because you, you might hear somebody make the statement, pass this class. I'm going to kill myself if I don't. If I don't pass this test, it's end of the world. Okay. They might. [00:11:31] Speaker B: She breaks up with me, I'm going to kill myself. [00:11:33] Speaker C: Right, right. Yeah. And so they might make that statement. People might think oh, they're being dramatic. But are they being dramatic? You know, because that's a heavy statement to say and that is a way that people think they can solve their problems is by that. But, yeah, academic pressure, academic stress, relationships, family, friends, whatever kind of relationship that is, all of those can be factors that can potentially lead someone to experiencing negative mental health. [00:12:05] Speaker B: Let's take our first break and then when we come back, we'll take a email question and then I also want to ask another question question about cultural differences. And we'll get to that. So don't let me forget Katherine to ask about the cultural question. We'll be right back. You're listening to brain matters on 90.7 the capstone. [00:12:33] Speaker C: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa. [00:12:36] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show host or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. [00:13:14] Speaker B: You're back listening to brain matters on 90.7, the capstone. I'm BJ Gunther, and we're talking tonight about suicide prevention Suicide Awareness Week, which we are. It's happening right now. It started last night, I'm assuming, Right? No, two nights ago, Sunday night. And we'll go all this week. And Victoria Winningham, who is the assistant director for suicide prevention here at the counseling center, and she's an lpc, a licensed professional counselor like myself. She's our guest tonight. And we just started talking about some of the ways that students are vulnerable or reasons that they might attempt suicide or consider suicide. But I wanted to mention I was going to ask you, Victoria, about and before I forget, because Katherine just reminded me, if you are listening and you have ideas for show topics, email those to me@brain mattersradiobuafm ua.edu and I'll try to remember to give that out one more time before we close. But I wanted to ask about cultural differences because I've read and studied and I've had students from different cultures that view suicide differently. Can you talk about that? [00:14:27] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. So there are statistics that show, for instance, Native American culture suicide rate is lower because that's something that they do not believe in. [00:14:40] Speaker B: Okay. [00:14:41] Speaker C: You know, because of spiritual guidance, religious guidance that kind of thing. Right. And in America, that's one of the protective factors that people mention is religion, is that they think it goes against their religion if they complete suicide or attempt suicide even. And there are statistics that show, you know, it is higher in Caucasian males than Caucasian females and it is higher in the African American culture statistically. And there are many factors that play into that, you know, economic, societal, religious, all those things. But it is definitely different across different cultures. [00:15:27] Speaker B: Yes, I've always read that Asian culture, There's a high rate, There's a high [00:15:33] Speaker C: rate in Asian culture. [00:15:35] Speaker B: I haven't heard about that lately. You know, I haven't read the research on that lately. [00:15:40] Speaker C: Well, one of some of the research that we've seen in particularly with Asian college students is because when they come to the States, they're under so much pressure to perform at a level that is acceptable to a high, high level. And if they don't meet those expectations, they let their families down. And they do, they don't want to let their families down. Family is very important in Asian culture. And so suicide, the suicide, that's one of the reasons suicide rates are higher in the Asian culture for college students. [00:16:17] Speaker B: Such high expectations. Let's talk about recognizing when someone may be struggling. And that kind of goes. There's a. I've got an email question about that. What if, and this is the first one, what if I have a concern about a friend or another student, what should I do? [00:16:34] Speaker C: Well, the first thing you can do is to ask that person, just in your own words, how are you doing? Are you having any kind of thoughts of harming yourself? Okay. In harming yourself can be different than actual suicide. Right. Because we all know there are self harming behaviors which do not include attempting suicide. And the first thing you can do is just to have a face to face conversation with that person in a safe, comfortable setting, just you and that person, one on one, and ask them, are you okay? What can I do to help? And just let that person know, this is an, this is a safe space where we can talk, just you and me, one on one, and you can tell me anything you want to tell me. And at the end, if we need to get help, if you will let me help you get help, I can, I can do that for you. [00:17:26] Speaker B: And we'll talk, we'll talk more in detail about that a little bit later. [00:17:30] Speaker C: Absolutely, yes. Yes. But the, the main step you want to take is to create an avenue to open up so that that person know that you're a safe person to talk to. [00:17:41] Speaker B: Yes. And that they're not in trouble. [00:17:43] Speaker C: Right, right, right, right. [00:17:44] Speaker B: Because I think some people feel like, oh, if I. If I let this out, if I tell somebody what I'm really thinking, they're gonna call my parents or they're gonna, you know, they're gonna do a lot of consequences. [00:17:57] Speaker C: Right, right. And like you said earlier, BJ One of the reasons people don't openly talk about it so much is because they are fearful of maybe being taken to the hospital or something like that. And that is. That is the absolute last resort. That's what we're trying to prevent when we have these conversations is that's not. That's not where we want you to end up. We want to see if we can get you help before it gets to that point. [00:18:21] Speaker B: That's right. And, you know, I was mentioning this to a student the other day about how we used to do here at the counseling center, we used to travel with the student to the hospital and stay with them because it felt scary for them. And I feel like if someone does have to be transported to the hospital, they need to know every detail what to expect, what they can expect, and what it's going to be like, you know, because I think they have misconceptions of what it's going to be like, because it's their. It's the. The purpose is to help somebody. That's the purpose. But it is a scary thought. I know. I know it is. What are some warning signs that students may be struggling with? More than we realize. [00:19:05] Speaker C: Yeah. So a lot of times what we don't pick up on are the behavioral clues. Because behavioral clues aren't words. Those are actions. Right. And a lot of times we don't pay attention to the actions. So if you notice a friend that has stopped going to class, that has stopped hanging out, that has stopped wanting to do social activities, that could be a sign that maybe that person needs to be checked on. Or if people are making statements or comments related to how to tie up kind of loose ends in their lives, that can be a definite warning sign, you know, or if they make simple saying like, I wonder. I wonder what my mom and dad would think if I did this, or I wonder what my loved one or friend would think if this was to happen. And just kind of exploring that openly like that. And then there's also the statements kind of what. What I mentioned earlier of, you know, if. If I don't pass this class, this is the end of it. Or sometimes people will simply say, I'm tired, I've had enough, I'm done. Okay, what does that mean? You know, and exploring that with the person. But sometimes it can be a statement as simple as that, that said that that can be a warning sign. [00:20:24] Speaker B: It's, it can be misleading sometimes because I've had people call us here because they're worried about a friend, posted something on social media, maybe we'll talk about that in a minute too. And they, you know, the, the statement might be like, I'm out of here. And you just don't really know what that means. [00:20:41] Speaker C: Right. [00:20:42] Speaker B: You just don't know. You know, I, I have a story that I've told people before. When I first started working here, I had a student come in and we used to have, we used to have students write down while they're coming in. We didn't have, you know, we were still write notes on paper. We didn't have electronic records like we do now. And he wrote down, I have a life threatening illness and I'm going to kill myself if I don't, you know, if it's not cured. There was something along the lines of that. And so I thought, oh my goodness, he's got like a deadly disease or cancer or something bad. And he, he came in and, and the bottom line is he had a vitamin D deficiency and he had had that before and it was very painful and he was like, I just can't do it again. I can't go through that again. I'm just going to kill myself. And so we problem solved. And I referred him to, you know, you had to look at like we've talked about before, protective factors. Was there a plan, was there intent? And bottom line is he was so scared of having those symptoms again and if he could just get a second opinion from a specialist, he was like willing to do that. And that's what happened. And they changed his medicine and it was as simple as that, you know. Yeah. That's what's scary though. That's what's scary that someone would go from zero to I want to kill myself that quickly. [00:22:12] Speaker C: Well, that just, that just goes to show how what people think about suicide being the end all be all and this will solve all my problems. [00:22:21] Speaker B: Yeah, that's scary. Are there, you know, we talked about signs. Are there signs though that friends might overlook because they think that's just college stress? [00:22:31] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. Well, for one, going back to the. Not going to class. Okay. People don't go to class all the time. Yeah. [00:22:40] Speaker B: You know, but they don't take attendance Right, right. [00:22:45] Speaker C: Yeah. But is that becoming a pattern? You know, are people not engaging the same way with the friend group that they used to, or there is a sign if someone has been contemplating suicide and they, they have finally decided, okay, I'm going to do this on this day at this time. And so friends have noticed that that person has been kind of sad, kind of down, not showing up to things, and then all of a sudden they start to, they start to show up again. That's because they have made up the decision in their mind. They're relieved and they're at peace with it, that, okay, this is going to happen. That can be a telltale sign that they need to be checked on. [00:23:29] Speaker B: I think another sign too, that might get overlooked as a college student is not really poor hygiene. And not to say that all college students have poor hygiene. I was a college student and yes, I did go to some classes without, like showering. Right. Okay, I'll admit that. But I'm talking about. This would be extreme. I think this would be, like, noticeable, right? [00:23:53] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, that would definitely be noticeable. Poor hygiene. Because that's one of the, one of the signs that we think of about when we think about depression, right? Yeah. And so a lot of times, you know, suicidal ideation starts with symptoms of depression. So definitely, yeah, poor hygiene, definitely those kind of things. Not taking care of their home, not washing their clothes. [00:24:17] Speaker B: We used to, in fact, when I was on call back in 01, when I first started working here, and we would take students, go with them to the hospital if we needed to, we would actually go out to their homes or to dorm rooms or apartments. And I can't tell you how many apartments and dorm rooms actually that I went in that were just a wreck. Like beyond the normal clutter. You know, I've seen college students doors and stuff, but this was beyond that. And sometimes they would have animals too. And, you know, that's sad because they can't even take care of themselves. So taking care of an animal was extra hard, too. [00:24:59] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:25:00] Speaker B: You know, we talked about what somebody should do. Let's say you talk to your friend and you point blank, ask them directly, you know, are you thinking about suicide? Let's say they actually say, yes, I've been thinking about suicide. Like, what are the immediate next step? [00:25:18] Speaker C: So the next step would be, okay, do you want me to help you get help or will you allow me to help you get help? Okay, but having that conversation, but also continuing to have the conversation, well, what's going on? What's leading you to feel this way. What can, you know, what do you think would help that kind of thing? And just still having that conversation and just letting them know that you're a real person, that you're not there to, you know, lock them up, as they say at the hospital and that kind of thing. And just being a friend, being real, being that safe person and just continuing to be there and sit with them. [00:25:59] Speaker B: That's right. And be with them and, and I mean, you might have to explain to, if they allow you to take the next steps, you might have to explain, okay, I'm going to call the counseling center or, you know, I don't know which would be easier. Maybe 91 1. But you can always call the counseling center if you're there with a person and then we can guide you through and always tell people we're the ones who rotate call here at the university. It's not farmed out to like a national hotline. We take, we, we all are responsible for taking calls. So you're, if you were to call and you were with a friend, you're going to talk to one of the therapists here at the counseling center, which is good because we know in Tuscaloosa and West Alabama and we can literally walk you through it if we have to. We, we usually don't go out anymore. We, we usually don't need to much, but we can, we still can, right? [00:26:58] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:27:00] Speaker B: Hey, let's take a, let's take our next break and then we come back. I've got some more email questions. I've got some more questions. We've got a lot more to talk about. I want to mend QPR too, when we come back. So we'll be back in just a minute. You're listening to brain matters on 90.7, the capstone. [00:27:27] Speaker C: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa. [00:27:29] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show host or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. [00:28:07] Speaker B: Hey, you're back listening to brain matters on 90.7, the capstone. I'm BJ Gunther. We're talking tonight about Suicide Awareness Week, which is going on this week at the University and suicide prevention. And my guest is Victoria Winningham. She's a licensed professional counselor here at the counseling center, but she's also the assistant director of suicide prevention. And that is a lot of work. Victoria, it is a lot of work. How many people are involved in planning for Suicide Awareness Week? [00:28:37] Speaker C: Oh, there's so many, I mean there's just across the, the campus. It's, it's a lot of different departments, A lot of different departments, a lot of different student groups, a lot of different departments. Our, our student board are the main people who kind of get things going. But. Yeah, but the university as a whole has been just amazing with helping us get everything planned. [00:29:04] Speaker B: Oh yeah. I can remember once again when, when I first started working here, the first few years, it was so hard to start this and to have to get people involved or to just get people to help you. And now it's just turned into something that people actually want to want to help with. You know, different organizations and different student groups. And remind me, is there, is there another suicide prevention week or suicide Awareness week in the spring? Because we have had that in the past. [00:29:40] Speaker C: Yeah. So in the spring is what we call our recharge week. [00:29:45] Speaker B: Okay. [00:29:46] Speaker C: So it's, I mean it's also focused on suicide prevention and awareness as well. But it's, it's more geared towards. Doing different types of activities that are more kind of self care type activities. [00:30:02] Speaker B: Oh, okay, that's good. Yeah, that's a good thing. But yes, I mentioned, I mentioned before we went to break qpr. Can you talk about that a little bit? I don't think I included that in my questions, but I think it needs to be talked about. People probably are not aware, especially students or even faculty or staff who are listening right now. Talk about qpr. Yeah. [00:30:24] Speaker C: So qpr, it stands for question, Persuade and refer. And it goes through different statistics and different steps of how to ask the question, how to persuade someone to let you help them get help and to how to refer someone to the help that they need. And it is offered campus wide. Sometimes people from the community come in and it's, you can go through the counseling website to register for it. [00:30:56] Speaker B: Okay. [00:30:56] Speaker C: And anybody, anybody can do it and become QPR certified. And all that means is that you have the ability to, you know, more openly ask the question. Are you thinking about completing suicide now? Everyone has the ability to do that, but this just gives people a little bit more confidence and more kind of the language to use and that kind of thing. [00:31:21] Speaker B: Yeah, and, and, and what signs? Because there, there can be. Like you mentioned before, there can be subtle behavioral signs that people will just overlook just because they don't have the knowledge we're used to. I feel like. I feel like I'm used to. I'm comfortable talking about suicide and suicide prevention. But I'm not gonna lie. When a in and seriously says that they feel like harming themselves, it scares me. I think you'd be totally desensitized if it doesn't. And I tell the student, I'm like, this scares me and I want to figure out a way to help you. [00:31:57] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:31:57] Speaker B: And it kind of lets their. I feel like it lets their guard down or helps them let their guard down a little bit with a therapist, you know. [00:32:04] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:32:05] Speaker B: Let's talk some more about the role of friends. A lot of students may worry, what if I. What if I say the wrong thing? What would you tell someone who is afraid to have that conversation? You've already mentioned that a little bit, but is there something specifically like, you just mentioned vocabulary or wording? Is there a certain. You know, we don't say commit suicide anymore. People still say it, but that's really not appropriate. Can you explain why? And a little bit about the verbiage. [00:32:37] Speaker C: Absolutely. So that language that we use in the past committed. That kind of thing. It has. It puts a negative connotation on that person almost that they are doing something wrong, that they. They're thinking something bad, you know, that is going to get them in trouble. And so now we use the term died by suicide or completed suicide. Yes, because, I mean, that's. That's what it is. That person has died by suicide. And so that takes. [00:33:09] Speaker B: Go ahead. [00:33:10] Speaker C: No, I was going to say that takes away any kind of judgment that might be placed on that person. Because commit can be a strong word [00:33:16] Speaker B: too, you know, and it can. Commit connotes something, you know, illegal again, you know, like you have committed a crime, you know, like that. And. And I don't know the legality around it anymore because I haven't really read about that much anymore. Died by suicide. You may. If you're listening, you may be thinking, that's harsh. Do people say that to you when you're, like, trying to educate them that. That really haven't been around the research? [00:33:53] Speaker C: I haven't had anyone say that that was harsh. Yeah, they have said they do feel comfortable using that language, you know, died by suicide. What we don't want to say is if you're talking to someone, what you don't want to say is you're not Thinking about completing suicide, are you? That is very judgmental. [00:34:16] Speaker B: Yes. [00:34:16] Speaker C: It's a lot of negativity on that person. And they're absolutely going to tell you, no, I'm fine. [00:34:23] Speaker B: Right. [00:34:23] Speaker C: Because that is a very. And that a lot of times, if people aren't educated can come out that way. [00:34:28] Speaker B: I mean. Yeah, because it kind of is persuasive. It's like, Victoria, you're not thinking about dying your hair blonde, are you? [00:34:37] Speaker C: Right. [00:34:38] Speaker B: Victoria has brown hair. You know, I mean, you're gonna say, of course I'm not, you know, because it's like persuasive language. And I'm glad you mentioned, like, that is not something you need to say to somebody who's thinking about suicide. Tell us some more things that students who are listening, if they have a friend, what should they not say? [00:34:58] Speaker C: Right. Well, you don't want to say anything that's going to place judgment, like, going back to, like, hygiene. You know, you don't really smell that great. [00:35:11] Speaker B: Oh, gosh. [00:35:12] Speaker C: You know, instead of, hey, what's. You know, I noticed that you maybe haven't bathed in a little while. What's going on? Do you need to talk about something? Can we talk about something and come at it as a more compassionate way? [00:35:26] Speaker B: That's right. [00:35:27] Speaker C: Instead of a judgmental way? Because there can be. There's already a lot of judgment passed on the stigma of mental health anyway. Right. People don't want to talk about it, that kind of thing. So the less judgmental you can be in your language, the better the conversation is going to go. [00:35:42] Speaker B: What's your opinion? And this is just something I just jotted down to remember to ask you. What is your opinion about the dormitories, the residence halls we have here? And I'll tell you why I say that. Because when we started building new residence halls, which are very nice, nice residence halls, but when we started building those, I forgot what they call them, but it's basically where there are four students to an apartment. [00:36:11] Speaker C: Like a suite. [00:36:11] Speaker B: Kind of like a suite, but they each have their own separate room that they can go in and lock. And we were all very worried about that because we felt like that could set up somebody who was depressed or has social anxiety or is homesick to, like, never leave their room or even really get to know their roommates. So they might not recognize that that person has not been out of their room for two days. [00:36:41] Speaker C: Right. [00:36:42] Speaker B: What do you think of. Have you thought about that or realized that? I mean, I don't know if anybody talks about that much. Anymore. Because those residence halls have been around now for a while. [00:36:55] Speaker C: You know, BJ that's not really anything that I have actually thought about because when I think about that, I think about how each individual person wants their privacy. Of course. [00:37:08] Speaker B: Of course. Yeah. [00:37:10] Speaker C: But I would hope that if they had not seen or had contact with their roommate in a certain number of days, that they would. Would check on them and if they didn't get a response, that they would contact the R.A. i hope so. [00:37:21] Speaker B: And I mentioned that because I have had to go over there before and get students out or, you know. [00:37:28] Speaker C: Oh, okay. [00:37:29] Speaker B: Try to. Try to encourage them to come out of their rooms. And that sounds drastic, but it has happened. [00:37:35] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:37:36] Speaker B: You know, and you don't really think about that. [00:37:39] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:37:40] Speaker B: How can students report, not report. How can students support a friend without feeling like they have to become their friend's therapist? Because I have had students before who are very worried about that and they take on another role that they're really not equipped to take on, and it's not really appropriate, but they become that person. What do you say to them so they don't have to carry that responsibility themselves? Because I think some people are afraid to approach their friend who might be in distress us because of that. [00:38:14] Speaker C: Right. Well. And that. That can happen very easily. [00:38:19] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:38:19] Speaker C: In a situation like that, especially if people are here from out of state or, you know. No. Have no family here or coming here on their own with no friends, they can latch on to that person. That can become very easy. But in a situation like that, when it becomes that the. The friend who is helping, if they can again, persuade that person to get professional help so that it is coming from a professional. And that person even said, hey, I'll go to the counseling center with you and make an appointment. [00:38:49] Speaker B: I've told them that before. I have said that before. You can bring them here. [00:38:53] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. I think that would be the best thing to do. Just so that person isn't taking on too much. [00:39:02] Speaker B: You know, this is a big question, but what if they tell their friend? What if they disclose this to their friend and then they tell their friend, please don't tell anyone. You know, that puts that person in a real bond also. [00:39:16] Speaker C: It does, it does. But at that point, you have to think about the other person's safety. Is it going to be more harmful for that person if you do not tell somebody or is it going to be, you know what I'm saying? Because if they tell somebody and then that person ends up getting help, they're going to be glad that person told somebody. Yes. [00:39:37] Speaker B: Yes. And I mean, if you're worried about somebody, your friend being mad at you. [00:39:42] Speaker C: Right. [00:39:43] Speaker B: I'd rather them be mad at me than something really bad happened. And you feel guilty, the parents being mad, you know, upset. There's a lot of trickling down that can happen. Just like you just mentioned, you know. [00:39:56] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:39:57] Speaker B: Let's take our final break. When we, when we come back, I keep mentioning that these email questions, but the reason is we're going to talk about some more resources on campus and also how to get involved with Suicide Awareness Week and beyond. So keep listening. We'll be right back. You're listening to brain matters on 90.7 the capstone. [00:40:31] Speaker C: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa. [00:40:34] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show host or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. [00:41:12] Speaker B: Hey, you're back listening to brain matters on 90.7 the Capstone. I'm Dr. BJ Gunther. We're talking tonight about a very important topic that I don't think we talk about enough. I'm glad we're doing this show. It's suicide prevention, but especially Suicide Awareness Week, which is going on this week. And in a few minutes we'll talk about some specific activities and how you can find out more information if you want to get involved. But I've got Victoria Winningham is my colleague here at the counseling center. She's also an LPC like myself, which is a licensed professional counselor. And she's also the assistant director for suicide prevention here at the counseling center. And we were talking about the role of friends. I think that is one of the most important roles, friends and parents. But honestly, I feel like students are going to disclose to their friends quicker than they will their parents. Are you finding that true also? [00:42:12] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. The thing about telling parents is, well, for one, people might not want their parents to worry about them, but also they don't want to feel like they're gonna get in trouble or punished for telling their, their families. And you know, for some people, their families don't believe in mental health. They don't believe that depression is a real Thing. Or anxiety is a real thing, or, you know, if you're feeling bad, just suck it up. You know what I mean? So. Right, right. So that. That's a big reason that I have seen since being here that people don't want to tell their parents about it. [00:42:49] Speaker B: Yeah. I have actually had students in my office and they've wanted to go to the hospital voluntarily. And while they're in my office, I have called their mom or dad and I've actually had their parents say, well, should I, Should I come there? And I'm like, just shocked. I'm like, yes, you should. Yes, yes, you should come here. I don't care if you're on the moon, you should come here. So it always shocks me, you know, a little bit. And I kind of understand at that point what that student might be going through. You know, let's talk about some UA resources, specifically here on campus. What resources are available to students who are struggling or worried. Worried about someone else besides the counseling center. And I'm going to give out that information at the end, so just hold tight. But besides the counsel, are there other resources? [00:43:40] Speaker C: Yeah. So we have the 988, which is the National Suicide Prevention Hotline that anybody can call at any time they want to. There's also a crisis text line. [00:43:53] Speaker B: Yes. [00:43:54] Speaker C: 741-74-1741. If people would rather text. Because for a lot of people, texting is easier than talking over the phone. [00:44:02] Speaker B: And a lot of students do not know about the crisis text line. [00:44:06] Speaker C: Yeah, it's. Well. And it's definitely something that I didn't really know about until I got to ua because it's not really mentioned in the community. Right. Really. But there's also Hope Point Crisis center, which is open 24 7. It's free services. They even provide transportation if. Which is a step down from the hospital. So it's not going to the actual hospital. [00:44:30] Speaker B: No. [00:44:32] Speaker C: But there's therapists there 24 hours. There's a nurse on there. And there's just peer peer support there for people to talk to who have gone through similar situations, which is that kind of thing. [00:44:43] Speaker B: That's huge. [00:44:44] Speaker C: Which is huge. Yes. And it's located in downtown Tuscaloosa. And then of course, UAPD will come out if anybody needs help. And then 91 1. For sure. It's if. If something was to happen off campus [00:44:59] Speaker B: with a student, definitely, you know, if a student's listening right now and thinks I need help, but I don't know where to start, what would you tell them? To do. [00:45:08] Speaker C: First I would tell them to contact the counseling center for sure. Well, I mean, first I would have a conversation, what's going on? What are you struggling with, what kind of thoughts you're having, that kind of thing, and have that conversation, that open conversation with them. And then I would ask them if they felt comfortable contacting the counseling center to try to get some professional help. [00:45:32] Speaker B: And I'm going to give our phone number out at the end. And we are open. You can, we're open 8 to 5. You can walk in anytime between the 8 to 5 when we're here. But if it's after hours, you can always call and I'll give the directions when we finish up in just a minute. What about a student who thinks he isn't in crisis but recognizes that they're struggling and just wants to get some support before things become a crisis? I mean, you can come here to the counseling center most definitely. We do not have a waiting list. I know some people say they think we have a waiting list, but we don't. It's usually one to two weeks that you can get in for a screening which is free. It's a 30 minute conversation that we have just to gather information. But like I mentioned before, you can always just walk in. Right. [00:46:22] Speaker C: And also, you know, our, let's talk appointments, if they just want to talk something out real quick, they can schedule those online if they want to, or they can call and schedule those. And that's, that's free too. It's just a little 30 minute phone call conversation that you would have with somebody if, if they feel like they could be at risk, but they're not exactly sure they can talk that out with somebody. [00:46:47] Speaker B: Are faculty and staff able to reach out for guidance if they're concerned about a student too? [00:46:53] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. Yes. [00:46:56] Speaker B: We get a lot of those consultations, don't we, from faculty and staff that are concerned about a student. It might be a student who hasn't come to class in a little while and they're worried about it, right? [00:47:08] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:47:10] Speaker B: Talk about Suicide Awareness Week real quick about what's going on every night or every day, what's involved. [00:47:17] Speaker C: Yeah. So Suicide awareness week is September 20th through the 27th. And it started with putting the purple flags out at Denny Chimes. And those are up Sunday through Wednesday. We'll, we'll take them down Wednesday night at around 5 o' clock Monday we had therapy dogs out with all the pictures. Yes. [00:47:39] Speaker B: Did you have a good turnout? Yes. [00:47:41] Speaker C: So many people came by and just loved on the puppies. And it was just such a great thing. Tonight at the Natural history Museum, we are having candlelight yoga. [00:47:52] Speaker B: Oh, wow. [00:47:53] Speaker C: That they're doing. It's. Yes. It's going to be just a real nice, calm setting. An hour of yoga, meditation, that kind of thing. Wednesday is percentage day with poke bowl on campus. If people go out and buy food and mention Stas, a certain percentage will come to Stoss. [00:48:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:48:13] Speaker C: Thursday at the student center, we are making stress balls for anyone that wants to come by and make their own little kind of fidget. Stress ball. Squishies. Yes, yes, yes. Squishies are big. Friday is another percentage day with bama Bama sips off of Bryant Drive here all day long. Percentage. The SGA actually partnered with us and said they wanted to do that. That for us. So yay for that. Go sga. And Saturday, of course, is football game. So we're not doing anything Saturday. And then Sunday, we end the week with our Tide against Suicide walk, which is a walk that we will do around the quad. That. And there's going to be different signs up with statistics and that kind of thing that people. [00:49:01] Speaker B: What time does it start? [00:49:03] Speaker C: So it starts at registration, starts at 5, and the walk starts at 6. [00:49:09] Speaker B: Good. Perfect. And this was my. These two of the email questions that we got is about Todd against suicide. How can students who are interested in helping with Tide against suicide find more information? [00:49:21] Speaker C: Yeah, so they can contact. They can go to the counseling center and we have a whole section on the counseling center that is strictly tied against suicide related on the counseling website. [00:49:33] Speaker B: Got it. [00:49:34] Speaker C: And then if they see any of our tabling events throughout the year, they can stop at one of those and get any of our little brochures or handouts or ask any questions. And they can simply just contact me if they would like to contact me to ask any questions. We do interviews in the spring for people who want to join the student board and we do those at the end of February. [00:50:00] Speaker B: Okay. So those are a limit on the number that you choose. [00:50:05] Speaker C: There is not a limit at the moment. [00:50:08] Speaker B: They just have to be interviewed. [00:50:10] Speaker C: They have to be interviewed. [00:50:12] Speaker B: This is such wonderful information, Victoria. I want to make an announcement, you know, in case somebody's listening. If you are listening, if you or someone you know is struggling, please don't try to handle it alone. Because here at the University of Alabama, students can reach out, as we mentioned, to the counseling center for support and guidance. And if you know some. If you or someone you know is in immediate emotional distress or thinking about suicide, of course. Call 91 1- LIKE VICTORIA mentioned, or call us here at the counseling center. Our number is 205-348-3863. And the website is also counseling UA Edu. And you don't have to have, you know, perfect words. Sometimes the most important thing you can say is simply, I'm glad you told me. Let's get you some help, as we've mentioned, about being a friend, if someone discloses this to you. So hopefully this will be a great. This show and this podcast will be a great resource for people who maybe need some immediate help or just are a little bit apprehensive about coming to the counseling center, period. [00:51:15] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:51:17] Speaker B: Thank you again for being on the show, Victoria. This was great. It goes. I say it every week, but it does go by fast. [00:51:24] Speaker C: Thank you. [00:51:25] Speaker B: You're welcome. I like to thank a few people who've made the show possible. Dr. Greg Vanderwaal, he's our executive director here at the Counseling Cent. Of course, my producer and colleague, Katherine Howell, my colleagues here at the Counseling center, Gareth Garner, who I mentioned is the editor for our show, and the WVUA staff, and, of course, my guest tonight, Victoria Winningham. Don't forget, we're on next week, and I cannot remember what the show is. And I'm so sorry, I should know this. I just go from show to show and I just cannot remember. Let me look it up real quick because I want to give you some idea of what we'll be talking about next week. I've got shows already planned out, I think, until November. So it's gonna be, why am I so tired? The college students exhaustion epidemic. And I think that's gonna be great. I'm gonna have a psychologist from the University of Minnesota on, and that should be so fascinating to talk about exhaustion. And it's not just mono, you know, because I think there's mono going around right now on campus. I've heard. I know know. I've heard a few. Heard a few students talking about it. So we'll see. But thanks again, y', all, and thanks for listening. We'll see you here same time, same place, same station, wvuafm next week. Good night. [00:52:48] Speaker A: This show was not intended as a substitute for professional counseling. Further, the views, opinions and conclusions expressed by the show hosts or their guests are their own and not necessarily those of the University of Alabama, its officers or trustees. Any views, opinions, or conclusions shared on this show do not create a relationship between the host or any guest and any listener. And such a relationship should never be inferred. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, please contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact a respective counties crisis service hotline line or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.