As part of the Wayne State University Campus Health Center’s (CHC) mission to transition its health programming online, the CHC, the Suicide Prevention Initiative, and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) will host an hour-long webinar titled Suicide Prevention 101: Mental Health & Suicide Prevention During the Coronavirus Pandemic. 

This webinar is designed to teach how to look after the mental health of friends and family and work together to prevent suicide during the coronavirus pandemic. Stef Kastely, a CAPS counselor who will lead then webinar, said the goal is to help students “gain not only more knowledge and awareness about mental health, but also the confidence to address and talk about mental health.” Kastley said that while she misses being able to interact face to face with students, she still hopes to “provide participants a warm, welcome and safe environment for us to talk and learn about mental health.”

The Suicide Prevention webinar will be held at noon on Tuesday, July 14. Registration is available on the CHC's website.  

Suicidal thoughts and actions are a major problem among college students and young adults. According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, suicide is the leading cause of death of university students, and as many as 7.7% of undergraduate and graduate students will seriously consider attempting suicide. Additionally, mental health issues in general tend to first appear between 18-24 years of age, leaving young students especially vulnerable to a range of mental health struggles.  Learning to recognize the signs of suicidal ideation and how to assist people in times of a mental health crisis are important skills that can keep not just your loved ones safe, but can also help improve the overall mental health of the entire campus community. 

If you are struggling, remember that CAPS is continuing its services during campus closures due to COVID-19. Visit the CAPS website or call 313-577-3398 for details. Student experiencing a crisis outside of regular hours can call 313-577-9982.

The Campus Health Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. for physical, tele-health (phone), and tele-medicine (video) appointments. Please call CHC at 313-577-5041 with questions or to make an appointment. 

For a list of upcoming live webinars and recorded virtual content, please visit CHC's website.