KORTNEY YOUNG
Special to The Leader
Each year, members of the community gather with Fredonia’s faculty and students for the annual “Out of the Darkness Walk.” This year marks the eleventh year it will be hosted by the Psychology Club in order to fundraise for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
“[Fredonia] felt there was a need [for a walk] because there’s a high rate of suicide among college students,” said Joyce Harvard Smith, coordinator for Volunteer and Community Services. “We felt that there should be made awareness in terms of educating people about suicide and to try to prevent that as much as we can.”
Even though it’s commonly thought that students turn to professors and other administrators for help, Dani McMay, a psychology professor and Psychology Club advisor, notes that students actually turn to students first.
“One thing we know, as professors, is that when students are really in trouble they are not going to reach out to professors, they’re going to reach out to other students,” said McMay. “One of [the] things that’s important to us [faculty members], is to make sure that you guys, as students, know what to do.”
Fredonia offers an on-site counseling center, and the AFSP offers phone services at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Adolescence is an overall stressful period in one’s life, and oftentimes a person can begin to feel overwhelmed and not know where to turn.
“I took psychology of sexual orientation, and we learned a lot about what adolescents go through and how the suicide rate is so high in that population. It hurts to know that people feel that way,” said Jessica Pelz, a senior psychology major and president of the Psychology Club. “It’s great that we have a community event to get everyone behind this.”
http://www.Afsp.org provides a list of many warning signs that people should be aware of in order to best help people who are at potential risk for suicide. These signs include: talk of having no reason to live or being a burden to others, increased use of drugs and alcohol and isolating oneself from friends and family, as well as expressing a loss of interest in activities the person once enjoyed.
“Suicide is such an awful occurrence, and it can be preventable. I think if people are more aware and know the signs to look for and take [them] into account when they hang out with friends and family, I think it can make a huge difference,” said Pelz.
According to the AFSP, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death among Americans.
“A few years back I had a friend whose son committed suicide, and [his parents] wanted to do the walk. It’s overwhelming to do a walk like this,” said McMay.
Ninety percent of people who die by suicide suffer from a treatable mental disorder at the time of their death. McMay said that she wants society to view mental illness in the same way as all other diseases.
“If [a person goes] to the doctor and the doctor says [that they] have high blood pressure [people] don’t think anything different of them,” said McMay.
Suicide rates in some populations have decreased, while others have not.
“It’s hard for a guy who considers himself a bread winner and a warrior to seek out help. Just now, the military has started to sort of acknowledge it. The resources for veterans returning home has really increased. There’s 1-800 numbers just for vets to reach out to,” said McMay.
Strides to reduce the annual suicide rate by 2025 are being made possible by 67 chapters of the AFSP nationwide.
“[The walk] is done all over the country through different campus walks and community walks. It’s great to get Fredonia involved in a nationwide organization,” said Pelz.
Registration will be held Saturday, March 28, at 10:30 a.m. in front of the Fredonia clock tower outside of Thompson Hall. The three mile-walk will begin at noon, and all proceeds will benefit the AFSP.
“We are concerned about getting as many walkers as possible,” said Smith.
Even though the goal is to raise money to help fund research and prevent suicide, the community is able to make a direct impact during the walk.
“One of the things that we [participants of the walk] learned as each year went by is that people [struggling who witnessed the walk] had this feeling that even though they were struggling, there were so many people that cared about them,” said McMay.