Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 3, 2000)
TklE ClACliAMAS PRiNT Touching Darkness The air was violent On that evening day As I watched forty blue pills Staring back at me. Trying not to turn away, I took their bitterness Into my bitterness And washed them down With a carbonated drink. I then went to bed. To lay me down to sleep. As I closed my eyes To the imposing world, I prayed that I would hot pray, And hoped that I would not wake. My thoughts were shadows, My feelings were dust, But something inside of me Waiting for the sound Of my door being opened, And my rescuers charging in. When I could wait no longer, When I knew that I must not die, I sat upright And felt the pounding of my heart. Taking hope with every breath, I telephoned for help. The embarrassment was al most worse Than the chemical numb ness That was holding my hands. The waiting was long, Because my minute? were few. When they arrived, there were questions. How could I answer for my actions When the reasons were no longer there? ______ L Opinion WedNEsdAy, MAy 5, 2000 Prevent the pain: know the signs, stop suicide Lives are lost to us every day because we know not how to stop the onslaught of suicides among our friends and loved ones—today I give you some ways. The suicide rate among people Make a statement, be heard..« to recognize the danger signals of someone who may attempt sui cide. Danger Signals: Previous suicide attempts: be tween 20-50 percent of people who kill them selves previ ously at tempted sui cide. SalenaDeLaCruz ages 18-24 has steadily been on the rise. Suicide is the number two killer among college age stu dents—people like you; people like me. So what can we do to answer the cry for help? First we need Opinion Editor Talking about death or suicide: directly or indirectly. Planning for suicide: getting affairs in order, giving away articles of value or paying off debts. Depression: often expressed as loss of pleasure, or withdrawal from activities that had been en joyable. Suicide Pain calls to some to quit life beckons most to carry on Agony opens up and some fall into that pit life beckons most to mourn and meet each new dawn Who weeps for those who chose to weep no more Suicide steals Suicide steals Who hears the cries when there are no more tries left Who will understand gone too soon to a distant land Who will understand Suicide steals Suicide steals Suicide steals Suicide steals To live or to die choice who really knows why choice sees some live and others die Who weeps for those who chose to weep no more Are you concerned yet? Have you stopped to think that this could be you or someone you know? Another way to help is to take these signs seriously and know how to respond to them. Accord ing to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, depression and emotional outcries that pre cede suicide are—in most cases—both recognizable and treatable. Some ways to help people con sidering suicide include willing ness to listen; being actively in volved in their seeking profes sional help; in an acute crisis, tak ing the person to the emergency room or walk-in-clinic at a psy chiatric hospital and follow-up on your loved one’s treatment. In reading this, I hope you are more aware and more knowledge able in what you can do to help someone you know or even don’t know. After all, just listening could save a life. But I think there is so much more to be done. I think we should have a national suicide awareness day .where ev eryone could be educated about possible signs of suicide and treatments for people: finally, you could wear a little blue tear drop or ribbon as a reminder of those we’ve lost to suicide. We all need to do our part. So, if you or someone you know is experiencing any of these signs or moods—get help. We could be the catalyst to life or death; we can help wipe away the tears and replace them with a smile. Questions or comments e-mail cccprint@clackamas.cc.or.us Suicide questions. answered The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention created questions and answers from actual letters they received from people wanting to understand suicide better. Irformation obtained from http://www.afsp.org. Q. What percentage of college students who kill themselves are male? Why do you think more boys than girls kill themselves? A. 75-80 percent are boys although more girls attempt suicide. Boys are more involved than girls in all forms of aggressive and violent behavior. Q. F ve heard that suicides are more frequent around the holidays? Is this true, and if so, how much do they increase at that time? A. Suicides are not more frequent during the holidays. The highest rate is in April and the summer months, June and July. Over the course of a time less hour, I waited for them to save me. There are fools who follow shadows, And dream of the romance of dying, But I have learned the way of wisdom: It was earned with the swal lowing Of a rubber stomach pump. With charcoal stained lips, I was wheeled away To a place where they prom ised to help me. Three days, I stayed there, Finding a different way To undo the tangles of my life. Sometimes I fear; There are many more days ahead, But whatever difficulties un fold, I will never walk that way again. With my own hands, I have touched the dark ness. I ask you to learn my lesson, I ask you to trust my words: Darkness is cold; Hold onto the light. -Andrew Lias Lias is a 'survivor of suicide' who chose to use poetry to help him self. He has written a collection called "Songs of Phoenix." To read more go to http://myweb. wco.com. Gone too soon the loss of one diminshes us all Gone too soon Ido. A. J. Mahari (soul) In memory of Anne W. Who can help? Q. What is the biggest cause of suicide among college students? A. 95 percent are suffering from mental illness, usually depression. If depressed, substance abuse, anxiety, impulsiveness, rage, hopelessness, and desperation increase the risk. Clackamas County Crisis Hotline- (503) 655-8724 Q. Apart from talking to a suicidal person and encouraging him/her to go Multnomah County Hotline- (503) 238-7555 for counseling, what else can we do to prevent this? Survivors of Loss through Suicide-(503) 226-7620 A. Going withsomeone to the counselor often helps. Suicide Bereavement Support-(503) 657-1181 listen to you, you may need to talk to someone who might influence him or her. Saving a life is more importantthan violating a confidence. If the person won’t
