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Clinton Y&FS Offers Suicide Intervention Training

On Thursday, Jan. 31, the Clinton Youth & Family services Department will host a free seminar aimed at teaching community members how to help someone who is contemplating suicide. This free course is geared toward adults and lasts from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Rose Room at Town Hall.

Youth & Family Services Director David Melillo called the training “a great step to take to get people who are depressed help.”

While the class is a one-time event, Melillo said that the topic is part of a larger project he is working on in conjunction with the school system and he would be interested in doing the course multiple times with other interested groups, such as clergy or coaches.

“It’s a very positive program and I think we can make the community of Clinton a safer place by people signing up,” Melillo said.

The method of intervention taught in the course is called QPR training, which stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer. Melillo likened the method to CPR training, in that one doesn’t need to be a trained medical professional to learn it.

In addition to the QPR training, attendees will be taught the warning signs of someone who may be suicidal, and certain key facts and myths that surround the issue.

For examples of myths that need to be corrected, Melillo said, “Two of the biggest ones are if you bring up suicide, it puts [the idea] into someone’s head; that is not true. And [another myth is that] people who talk about it never do it. One of the things that puts people at risk is people who talk about it or have attempted before and try it again,” Melillo said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. Melillo said the prevalence of suicide attempts are part of the reason the department wanted to hold this course.

“Recently we had two situations and I know nationally and across ages it’s an issue,” he said.

Though the course is free, registration is required. To register, call 860-664-1157 or email lnoe@clintonct.org.

Suicide is preventable. Anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts or depression should call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255). The lifeline, which is free, confidential, and open 24 hours a day, provides people in distress or those around them with support, information, and local resources.