Mental health director at local LGBT center speaks on suicide prevention

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day, an international initiative aimed to stop suicides and the stigma attached to it.

“So many people are afraid to ask directly, ‘Are you thinking about killing yourself? Are you thinking about suicide,'” Dr. Jill Gover, the clinic director at the LGBT Community Center of the Desert.

Gover believes asking directly is the first step in ending an international public health problem.

“It’s a very good time to target young people, to give them the resources they need to get help and to understand the issues related to suicide and bullying,” Gover said.

She launched a suicide prevention and anti-bullying project seven years ago. The curriculum has reached more than 2,000 9th grade students in the Palm Springs Unified School District each year, educating students on the impacts of their actions, and identifying warning signs linked to suicide.

Gover said signs include “when there’s significant change in a person’s behavior, if they were doing really well in school and suddenly their grades drop, they were really interested in their friends and they hobbies and activities and suddenly their withdrawing and isolating.”

Gover said she wanted to direct the project towards high school students as death by suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 10-34, according to the Center for Disease Control.

In the CDC’s latest reports, in a nationwide survey, 16 percent of students between the ages of 10 and 24 consider suicide. 13 percent create a plan and 8 percent attempt suicide.

“I think the most important thing is to do everything we can to eliminate the stigma associated with suicide and suicidal behavior. Everybody experiences challenges and when they feel completely overwhelmed and they don’t feel like there’s any way out. Suicide becomes the only option they see at that moment in time, and it’s so important to help them recognize that this moment in pain is temporary and an option in suicide is very permanent,” Gover said.

Suicide and Crisis websites and hotlines:

The Trevor Project – (866)488-7386 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – (800)273-8255 NAMI Coachella Valley – (888) 881-6264