NSU’s Giving Tuesday Webinar – “Suicide Prevention in the Age of COVID-19
NSU Professor Scott Poland, Ed.D. Shares Suicide Prevention Expertise, Mental Health Resources, and Advice for Making a Difference
Heal, support, and give exemplify the theme for this year’s day of giving and philanthropy. As part of NSU’s Giving Tuesday initiatives, the webinar, “Suicide Prevention in the Age of COVID-19” featured Scott Poland, Ed.D., on December 1, 2020 and had over 500 attendees from around the nation.
Poland, a professor in NSU’s College of Psychology, directs the university’s Suicide and Violence Prevention Office. He is a licensed psychologist and internationally recognized expert on suicide prevention and school crisis.
As an introduction to the Giving Tuesday webinar, Poland emphasized NSU’s community service initiative toward suicide prevention and noted the importance of compassion during this pandemic. He stressed that understanding trends and sharing suicide prevention information is key to making a difference in your community.
“We really need to make suicide prevention a priority in our country,” said Poland, “Around 48,000 people died in 2018 from suicides, and this is the highest rate for suicide in the last 50 years. As of now, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for Americans too.”
Alongside those statistics, for individuals between the ages of 10 to 34, suicide is the second leading cause of death for Americans, he shared.
“When we had the stock market crash in 2008, there were higher reports of suicides. Increased suicides during this pandemic has affected our families, as has increases in domestic violence, child abuse, firearms purchases, and alcohol/substance abuse. We need to be aware of the warning signs of suicides and what to do,” he added.
According to Poland, the most common warning signs exhibited 90% of the time are “talking about death, writing about feeling hopeless or trapped, giving away prized positions, creating a will, or having a dramatic change in behavior.”
“This pandemic has been extensive, and many Americans are suffering from a low-grade depression. People are concerned about going back to work and concerned about a family member getting sick. Americans’ lives have been severely disrupted,” said Poland.
The World Health Organization claims in their findings of “What Works To Prevent Suicide” is to “reduce lethal means available to suicidal individuals, increase education about warning signs, and provide mental health services to those at risk for suicide.”
Dr. Poland emphasized, “The W.H.O states that one of the protective factors for preventing suicides is feeling connected to the workplace, family and/or community. During the pandemic, the isolation of not being on campus or seeing friends, is taking a toll on students. This is a time for all of us to be compassionate, flexible, and to lower the bar on expectations.”
When interacting with a loved one who is suicidal or dealing with depression, the main point that Poland stated was, “The first step is to say ‘I’ll be here for you and help you on every step along the way.’”
Showing compassion and empathy to those who may be suicidal is crucial. Giving them love and support, allowing them to feel connected to you, and talking about how they feel can make the biggest difference when preventing suicide.
In terms of suicide prevention, it’s also important to create a written “Safety Plan,” especially for students and workers who are isolated at home during the pandemic.”
“Safety planning is the most essential suicide prevention initiative that focuses on what ideas will keep yourself safe from suicide. In the safety plan ,you write down what, internally, can calm yourself when you’re in crisis and externally, who can you contact.”
Poland claimed that these selfcare plans are vital for those with suicidal ideation, especially during the pandemic. Creating a connection with those around you and getting outside from isolation can initially make a huge difference as well.
One favorite quote that Poland shared was from Giovan Martine which states, “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. And if everyone does something, then together we can change the world.”
“One simple thing to take away is we need to talk about suicide more. We need to make sure loved ones know warning signs and know how to access the national crisis help line.”
A final note that Poland reiterated was, “Mental health needs have never been greater than now.”
To view the recording from this webinar, click here: https://youtu.be/jZRhEkkbzDc?t=49
A local resource to reach out to during this pandemic is the NSU Psychology Clinics serving South Florida, https://clinics.nova.edu/services/mental-health/index.html.
For national help in suicides and mental health, the suicide prevention number is (800)-273-8255.
For more information on suicide presentation, visit www.nova.edu/suicideprevention or any comments/questions toward Poland can be directed to spoland@nova.edu.
For those who would like to donate to NSU’s Giving Tuesday suicide prevention efforts, donations will be taken on www.givecampus.com/levf57 or text ‘NSU’ to 41444.