For assistance

Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-TALK

Boulder 24-hour mental health emergencies: 303-447-1665

CU Counseling and Psychological Services: 303-492-6766

Events

"LGBT Youth and Suicide: Myths and Realities," lecture by Glenda Russell

12:15-1:15 p.m. Wednesday, University Memorial Center, Room 425

Mental health resource table

11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, terrace outside the northeast doors to the UMC

"Too Afraid to Ask," by the Interactive Theatre Project

5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dennis Small Cultural Center, UMC, Room 457

Candlelight vigil, hosted by the Hope Coalition of Boulder County

6:30 p.m. Sept. 16, Boulder Band Shell (Broadway and Canyon Boulevard)

The University of Colorado and other organizations are hosting a series of free events as part of Suicide Prevention Week.

The program, supported by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the state Office of Suicide Prevention, will center on ways to prevent suicide and coping with loss.

"It's great that this comes in the beginning of the school year," said Amy Robertson, of the Office of Counseling and Psychological Services at CU. "It's a great way to raise awareness for the services we are able to provide in the university and the community all year long."

The campaign has been in effect for the last four years, helping educate more than 800 students, faculty and community members about suicide prevention.

The Boulder campus has generally confirmed three to five students who have committed suicide on a yearly basis, a number that has stayed the same over the last few years.

Robertson said the most important goal of the suicide prevention program is to find what is despairing an individual, identify the obstacles and work to find an effective solution for each individual.

"It's so useful to talk about all kinds of things in society," said Glenda Russell, a psychologist in the Office of Counseling and Psychological Services specializing in gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender issues. "Suicide in the context of sexual orientation and gender identity too often are not talked about."

The GLBT community suffers from some of the highest rates of youth suicide, usually stemming from discrimination and harassment, Russell said.

"Suicide in GLBT youth has incredible variability," Russell said. "But the rates are always higher for youth that do not have their family's acceptance."

According to the World Health Organization, suicide accounts for one death every 40 seconds around the world. Studies show that 10 percent of all college students struggle with feelings of despair.

"I have never known someone that has committed suicide personally, but some of my friends have," said Hannah Steffey, a senior at CU. "They were distraught, and they didn't know if there was anything they could have done. I think that Suicide Prevention Week is a good way to bring to light a subject that is often avoided because of the personal and painful nature of suicide."