Suicide talks given to students

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

The program will likely be offered to incoming freshmen next year.

LIBERTY — Many students refer to her as “the suicide lady” when she walks the halls in the high school, but those students know her message and where they can get help for depression.

Rebecca Marx, a township resident and advocate with the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program, spent hours talking to high school students here about suicide prevention. In fact, Marx had spoken to every student in the school by year’s end.

The Yellow Ribbon program is a national program that was founded in 1994 by the parents of a 17-year-old boy who killed himself at the family home during a bout of depression.

According to Marx, Liberty High School was the first school in the state to make the program available to every student. She said many in education believe such information may negatively impact kids by giving them ideas about suicide that they did not have before the lesson.

“I can assure you that this does not put anything into their heads that wasn’t already there,” said Marx. “What we did at Liberty was talked to all the English students each trimester. At the beginning of the year, I also went in and talked to all the teachers, faculty and administration.”

Marx addressed 518 students and 17 teachers in a total of 35 presentations.

Principal John Young said he initially did have reservations about students receiving some of the information and possible concerns from parents, but said the memory of a student who took her own life helped make the decision.

“I’ve only dealt with one [suicide] in 35 years and I don’t want to do it again,” he said. “It happened once and that was once too many. I don’t want to put my head in the sand and not discuss these things. I thought why not try this because our kids are facing so many issues.”

Marx said the importance of reaching students at the high school level and sooner is shown in the numbers.

According to Marx one in five people consider committing suicide and one in 10 actually attempt suicide. Suicide, she said, is the third leading cause of death for young people and the fastest growing group to commit suicide are those between 10 and 14 years old.

Marx hits the classrooms armed with literature, cards with numbers where kids can find help with depression, personal stories and, most important to some, an ear to listen. The wallet-sized cards contain information on suicide prevention and numbers to call for help.

Marx would not get into details about what students have said about coming close to committing suicide, but she did say one student pulled her to the side and said she was able to help a friend who was considering suicide. The girl said the program helped her know how to help the friend and to whom the friend could be referred.

Marx said most students are happy to have her in the school, referring to her as the suicide lady when they can’t remember her name. She said even students who act as if they are not listening later show that they have absorbed more than a little of the information being offered.

“Generally the response has been pretty good. Every once in a while I find someone who wants to argue and I often find that with those students the information is hitting too close to home,” she said.

Marx plans to return to the school next year and speak with all incoming freshmen.

jgoodwin@vindy.com