Students and faculty alike reached out to the Western community to raise awareness and break stigmas about the issue on the evening of Thursday, Jan. 26.

In an email sent out to students, parents and faculty, Western President Bruce Shepard addressed the need to speak about these issues rather than remain silent.

“Because of the stigma surrounding such topics, people do not bring the manifestations of a usually very treatable problem to the attention of others,” the email said.

A Western student died off campus on Wednesday Jan. 25 as the result of a possible suicide, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.  The Western Front’s policy states that the names of potential suicide victims will not be revealed.

Western’s chapter of To Write Love On Her Arms and the Associated Students hosted an event called “Walk of Life” to spread suicide awareness and knowledge on Thursday.

To Write Love On Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to finding help for people struggling with issues such as depression and suicide.
At the meeting several people spoke about their personal experiences with suicide.  Though the stories were different, they all said if negative stigmas about suicide are broken, and people feel comfortable talking about these issues, more people can be saved.

 “We think very hard about what message we want to give,” said Anne Marie Theiler, a counselor at Western’s Counseling Center.  “We really want to give the message of hope.”

The effects on the community surrounding a suicide can also be troublesome, Theiler said.

“If people have experienced a loss in their lives, sometimes hearing about another death can touch off some of those grief issues,” Theiler said.

Another common feeling after deaths like these is guilt, Shepard said.

“We’re going to lose some of these battles,” he said. “But we can’t take it all on our shoulders.”

Nancy Corbin, director of Western’s Counseling Center, said at the event that these feelings are normal, but difficult to deal with.

“20-20 hindsight can be very cruel,” she said.

After hearing about a student's death on Jan. 26, Western student Saraswati Noel, who lost her best friend to suicide, has felt some of the same feelings over again, she said.

“There’s always the guilt that comes along with it, even though I didn’t know this individual,” Noel said.

In 2007, 12 percent of suicide deaths consisted of people between the ages of 15 and 24, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

“True strength lies in asking for help,” said Mark Green, a counselor at Western, when he spoke at the event. “Let’s be willing to carry each other.”

Suicide warning signs

• Unexpected rage or anger
• Recent impulsiveness and taking serious risks
• Any observable sign of serious depression, such as low mood, anxiety and sleep problems

Getting Help

Call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or call Western’s
Counseling Center at 360-650-3164
Source: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention