From September 10 through the 16 is National Suicide Prevention week, according to 988lifeline.org. National Suicide Prevention Week is the Monday through Sunday surrounding World Suicide Prevention Day which was on September 10, and It’s a time to share resources and stories, as well as promote suicide prevention awareness.
Professor of Psychological Science at UTRGV Joseph Hovey, Ph.D explained through his research what warning signs he has found most people experiencing suicidal thoughts may exhibit.
Hovey explained that a common myth is that if you talk to someone who is suicidal, they will be more likely to take their own lives. When in reality it is actually the exact opposite.
He said there were a lot of studies conducted after the covid 19 pandemic to find out the effects it had on mental health. Which found there was a lot of hopelessness among young adults, specifically college students.
The result of this saw a spike in an increase of suicidal thoughts and attempts which was already at an increase before.
Director of the Counseling Center at UTRGV Christopher Albert, Ph.D. explained that he wants to bring attention to the existing services that are provided on campus with the counselors which are available from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday.
As well as announce this new 24/7 online service called Timely Care.
The UTRGV Brownsville counseling center is located at the student union second floor 2.10 and the Edinburg campus counseling center can be found at the University Center room 109.
For more information about the UTRGV counseling centers visit utrgv.edu/counseling
The national Suicide and Crisis hotline phone number is 988