Bristol Hospital will host a free seminar on Tuesday to provide training on how to help someone who may be contemplating suicide.
The free QPR (question, persuade and refer) Training will be put on by the Bristol Hospital Counseling Center at 5:30 p.m. in the Hughes Auditorium, at the hospital, located at 41 Brewster Road.
“You’ll leave with resources and information to help better talk to someone contemplating sui-cide,” said Lisa Coates, licensed clinical social worker, from the counseling center.Coates said the training also helps dismiss stigmas and myths surrounding suicide, such as the common belief that asking someone if they’re suicidal could plant the seed in their head that they should take their own life.
She added that having some-one ask how they are generally helps because those considering suicide often feel they are not worth someone else’s time. “We’ve really forgotten how powerful of an intervention human connection is,” Coates said. “We really believe in the training,” she continued.According to Coates, there are four times as many suicides as homicides in Connecticut. Suicide, she said, is the second lead-ing cause of death for Connecticut residents between the ages of 15 and 34.Some of the main contribut-ing factors to suicide include depression and an undiagnosed mental health disorder.
The warning signs of suicide can come in the form of direct, indirect, behavioral and situ-ational. A direct example could include someone saying they want to kill themselves, while an indirect sign could be a state-ment like “I’m tired of living” or “my family would be better off without me,” Coates said.
A behavioral sign could entail someone relapsing after a long period of sobriety or losing all faith in a strong belief, like religion.“A dramatic change,” Coates added.A situational sign of suicide could include someone being diagnosed with a terminal ill-ness or suddenly having a loss in financial security.
Coates said those who feel someone may be considering suicide can always call 211, a statewide resource. “Calling with someone is one of the best ways to moti-vate someone to get treatment,” Coates said.“I just think it’s so important to be a part of the conversation,” she said. One of the most important things to emphasize to someone who may be suicidal is that, “there’s more to life than what’s going on right now in their life.”
While things may look bleak now, that doesn’t mean someone won’t be in a much better situa-tion in the future. “This gives them hope,” Coates said.