A Suicide Prevention Workshop was led by Dr. Jude Uy on Tuesday Nov. 8 to a group of 14 students as part of Veteran’s Week. Photo by Alexandra Clark
A Suicide Prevention Workshop was led by Dr. Jude Uy on Tuesday Nov. 8 to a group of 14 students as part of Veteran’s Week.
Uy is a psychologist for Montclair State’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). According to Dr. Uy, suicide is ranked as the second leading cause of death for college students, and more than 1,110 college students kill themselves every year.
One of the most staggering facts revealed through Uy’s presentation was when he displayed a group of 15 students on the screen. He originally asked the room of students to pick which three they thought had committed suicide and then revealed that all of the students, ranging from 13 to 19 years old, committed suicide at their respective ages.
“Suicide doesn’t discriminate,” Uy said, adding that no one can know exactly what’s going on with a person until you talk to them.
Babee Garcia, secretary of Montclair State’s Student Veteran’s Association and a staff writer for The Montclarion, expressed her appreciation for everyone who came to the workshop and said the seriousness of suicide “goes beyond the military.” Garcia is a current Montclair student and has served in the Marine Corps.
According to Uy, 80 percent of students who commit suicide don’t seek help. If they do decide to talk to someone, Uy said students who go through a crisis are more likely to go to a peer for advice instead of an administrator or professor.
It’s vital for those thinking about suicide to feel like they are being heard and understood by those they decide to open up to., according to Uy. The biggest mistake that could be made is for someone to minimize the problem and disregard a person’s feelings of committing suicide.
Luckily for Montclair State students, they can seek help at CAPS in Russ Hall for free and confidential counseling services. Students can also download the “Just in Case” app associated with CAPS for more information.
