September is known as the month of suicide prevention, and the Counseling Center is preparing several events to help spread awareness for the issue.

The Counseling Center and MU-SPEAC will be giving suicide prevention information at the MSC Plaza next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. There will also be a movie named “The S Word” playing every evening next week.

Candace Layne, the director of the Counseling Center, said it is very important to learn about the topic of suicide to help reduce the stigma of mental illness. 

“Suicide is a serious topic and it’s important to provide education and prevention for suicide,” Layne said in an e-mail. 

Layne said there are a few things that others can do to learn and spread awareness about suicide prevention around the community. 

“Learn and watch negative language about mental health,” Layne said in an e-mail. “Offer training and mental health resources at your church, organization, school, etc.”

Paula Rymer, a mental health specialist and instructor at Marshall University, said people should not be afraid to talk about depression, stress disorders, or mental health issues in general.

“We should be as comfortable as talking about a headache,” Rymer said in an e-mail. “Stigma is a big problem when it comes to mental health.” 

QPR Suicide Prevention training will be given virtually through Microsoft Teams on September 9th from 1 to 2 PM. To register for this event, potential participants should e-mail the Counseling Center and their e-mail address can be found on their page on the Marshall website.

Jonathan Still can be contacted at [email protected].