Depression and suicidal ideation are serious problems that often leave people feeling isolated and hopeless. Southeastern organizations will be collaborating to host Suicide Awareness Day to break the barriers of isolation and provide information and support for those who struggle with these issues.
On Monday, Oct. 7, the University Counseling Center will be sponsoring  Suicide Awareness Day in the War Memorial Student Union mall and park. Many organizations, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Southeastern Sociological Association, StandOUT and the Social Work Club will be teaming up with the UCC to raise awareness about how suicide affects students and how they can help prevent it.
Several activities will be taking place for students to participate in, such as the UCC’s “Another Brick in the Wall” where students will be able to write messages about how they feel about suicide or how it has impacted their lives.
The SSA will be conducting a survey for students to take on the subject of suicide; the Social Work Club will pass out ribbons to show support for those affected by suicide.
NAMI will be holding a Saints raffle, where students will have a chance to win an autographed No. 9 Drew Brees cleat, two tickets to the Saints vs. Dallas game on Nov. 10, a two night stay at the Intercontinental Hotel, a $250 dinner at Muriel’s and two tickets to the House of Blue’s Gospel Brunch. Tickets are $5 each or five tickets for $20. The drawing will be held during the NAMI walk on Oct. 12 in New Orleans, but students do not have to be present to win the prizes.
StandOUT will be passing out information on LGBTQ-related suicide and will have Southeastern alumni Mark Bryan as a guest speaker. He will be speaking from personal experiences of the impacts depression and suicide on himself and others.
There will also be several other speakers during the event, including psychology instructor Daniel Chadborn, who will be speaking on basic suicide awareness and statistics, and social work professor Dr. Corie Hebert, who will be speaking on the risks and warning signs of suicide in adolescents.
“Depression and suicide are issues on every campus across the country.  According to suicide.org, suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students, and untreated depression is the number one cause for suicide,” said UCC Director Dr. Barbara Hebert. “Our goal is to make the Southeastern community aware that suicide and untreated depression are issues.  We hope that by creating an atmosphere of awareness and prevention, no one will feel as if they are struggling alone.”