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>> male speaker: You talked about going
to people to that dark place with those people,
but when you go to that dark place for people who
actually have like a plan of action, are
they at a higher risk for attempted suicide than a person
who just goes to a dark place without a plan of this is what I
intend to, I'm going to go to the kitchen, I'm going to get
this specific knife and then I'm going to take it away and go to
this place and do it.
Does that increase their probability of actually
committing suicide?
>> Dr. Farber: That has not been
my experience.
Again, that's the fear, you know go there
with them, you know, we're not going to talk them into
it, we're just going to go there with them and ride through it.
>> male speaker: The reason I ask is because
I'm a healthcare professional and we're always told that
the people you have to put a red flag on are the people
who say this is how I intend on doing it.
Regardless as to how rash it might sound, that those are the
people, that in healthcare nowadays, they say that's the
person you need to really, really pay attention t.
>> Dr. Farber: Well and you definitely
need to pay attention to them that's for sure, but what I'm
advocating is don't react with fear
and back off, just let them talk.
>> female speaker: I wanted to go back
to the school issue.
Over the years, I've had a number of teachers in graduate
courses and some of them have had experiences of suicide in
their schools, and one of the things they've talked about is
how important it is for schools to have plans in place, so that
they are not being reactive but rather proactive if
something like that happens.
Because it can have a devastating effect on the entire
community anyway, but if there's no plan there.
It may seem like, it's never going to happen why do we need a
plan, so maybe these young teachers as they go out into the
field can become advocates for the importance of having these
emergency procedures in place.
>> Dr. Farber: Absolutely, and I teach
graduate classes in the school counseling, and
one of the things that we talk about in crisis
intervention is having in place something called a crisis
team, a crisis team that consists of maybe
the school counselor.
It could be anyone in the school, but just people who are
going to be there to respond should a crisis occur such as a
suicide, so that people aren't just left hanging.
But that things are in place, and we can get together and come
up with a plan for how to respond to the community and
everybody who is grieving or whatever so.
>> male speaker: One of the things that
occasionally happens in school is that one child will commit
suicide, and then several others will begin to think about the
idea and pretty soon there's two or three or four across a short
span of time in the community on
several occasions southwest of here.
Now what's the balance between grieving for the loss of someone
and doing things such as having draped chairs at graduation,
giving awards to the person who has committed suicide at
graduation, to the point that it's almost a
kind of badge of honor.
And so then another youngster says, "Hey just look at the
recognition that soul is getting because they gave it up, I'm
going to do the same thing".
>> Dr. Farber: What do you think?
>> male speaker: I really think that when
schools go to the point of draping chairs and having big
assemblies and that sort of thing, that's glorifying the
idea of suicide, and that ought not to be done.
Individual grieving, small groups, yes, but nothing which
in terms of a large group glorifies that individual.
>> Dr. Farber: I don't know, I don't
really have thoughts about that, does
anybody have thoughts about that?
>> male speaker: I agree.
>>Dr. Farber: You agree, alright, let's
take, how are we doing on time?
Maybe let's just take a couple more questions and then we'll
wrap it up, and I'll be happy to stay around afterwards if anyone
has any individual questions.
>> male speaker: Mine wasn't a question,
I was going from the other thing.
I disagree, just because with families and
family members as a part of healing.
I think that's just a great thing for the family members to
allow them to heal, just as you might drape that and it may
cause somebody thoughts and they might think about suicide.
Well, maybe if you don't do it some of their family and friends
might or might think of suicide because
they are not getting recognized.
I think it brings it up, just as how you are bringing it to
light, that brings a situation like suicide to light and
bringing it to light actually helps and is
healing to everybody.
>> female speaker: I want to thank you
Nancy for bringing this to our community,
it's been real beneficial.
I also want to say that I think one of the things that needs to
happen is to remove the whole stigma of needing therapy.
If you need therapy, if you admit you need therapy, you go
to therapy, there's some sort of a negative connotation to that.
I think that across the board one of the things that would
help with all disorders or pain or problems is to just maybe try
as a community accept that probably everybody in the whole
community needs some sort of therapy and most people aren't
getting it, which is causing more illness.
So I think that one of the things that would help prevent
suicides is to actually encourage everybody to help each
other talk about problems, whether they are are at that
point of suicide or not before it gets to
the thoughts of suicide.
>> female speaker: I just wanted to go back
to the will power thing.
I think what I get what he's trying to say which it might've
come out a little wrong, like teach people that you've got to
find the will power to get yourself help and know that
there is something wrong, and you need to get in that forward
motion of trying to know that something is wrong and you know
you need to get help and maybe talk to people about it and
maybe try to give them the will power to see that.
I think that's what he was trying to get at.
>> female speaker: He said, "Right on".
>> Dr. Farber: Right on, okay, one more
comment and then we'll call it a wrap.
>> male speaker: How do you overcome
feelings of depression, and what if people say
to you, "Go ahead, do it".
I've heard people say to people, "Go ahead".
They don't care.
>> Dr. Farber: Well if someone
says to you, "Go ahead, do it", I would go
find someone else to talk to.
I think you know if you are experiencing depression, like I
said, and friends aren't enough to get you through it, then yeah
go seek help, absolutely because it is difficult, and sometimes
we can't just do it alone.
If you can't get the help you need from your friends, then go
to the counseling center, go seek help.
But if anyone says, "Go ahead, do it", that's not a very good
friend, so you know, I would walk away and
find someone else to turn to.
Okay, well thank you all for coming, I know this is
obviously, we have a lot to say about this, but I thank you for
coming, and I'll be available if anyone wants to come up to me
afterwards for a while, so thank you, thank you.
[audience applause]
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