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Opening eyes to suicide in Marietta

In the wake of painful news shared last weekend of a Marietta teen’s suicide, 80 local people gathered in the Marietta High School auditorium Thursday night in the hopes of learning how to help the community heal.

Tyler Michael Beckett, 16, of Marietta, took his life Friday at his home. Friends, family and community members took to Facebook over the weekend and into this week sharing their memories of him and asking that others keep the Beckett family in their prayers.

“We were just shocked. Last year I remember him always laughing in the lunch room and he always had these classic rock band T-shirts on,” said Lake Satterfield, 17, of Marietta.

“We were all getting ready to hang out Friday night when my friend got the call that Tyler had shot himself,” said Heath Hill, 17, of Marietta. “Then hearing he died, the first thing you feel is pain, that’s our classmate, someone we had just seen and said hi to in the hall and then he’s gone.”

Mostly parents and teachers attended the talk Thursday, with a panel of local experts sharing warning signs, constructive conversation techniques and active listening pointers.

“It’s critically important not to glorify this in any way,” said Will Hampton, Marietta City Schools superintendent. “We’re far from through this and don’t want the pain to be magnified by others following that choice so we immediately brought in resources over the weekend to meet as a crisis response team.”

Monday morning teachers and coaches were given resources to better talk about the loss with their students and counselors were made available for students and adults of the school system to help with the grieving process.

“We gave our teachers a script that helped to dispel any rumors,” said Hampton. “Giving people facts gives some security. But tonight’s event was to help parents and students through talking and knowing the warning signs to try and prevent further pain.”

Tracy Tynan, a Marietta parent with professional expertise in suicide discussion and prevention, provided several resources for parents and teens as the community becomes more aware of mental health and its links to suicide.

“When someone takes their own life, it’s about the pain,” she said. “They’re wanting the pain to end and we need to know what to look for to help our teens cope.”

“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem,” added Bill Bauer, professor at Marietta College and an ambassador for Reliance Treatment Center. “My son took his own life two years ago and there’s the beginning of grieving but we also have to look at what are we going to do to prevent this from happening again.”

Bauer and Hampton let parents present know that not only had counselors and clergy members been made available at the high school to help students discuss how they’re feeling, but also at the middle school as news spread of Beckett’s passing.

Parents were counseled to be patient with their children as they process grief, and told that grief can be displayed through anger, sadness, irritability, sarcasm and guilt.

“Don’t be offended as a parent if you’re not the one they want to come to and open up to,” said Rita Frum, a counselor with Marietta High School.

“Most of our kids have never experienced anything like this before and will need you more than ever to support them as they figure out how to grieve,” added Lisa Polk, Frum’s counterpart at the high school.

Resources to help

when talking about suicide

— kidshealth.org.

— American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – afsp.org.

— Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide – sptsusa.org.

— Suicide Prevention Resource Center – sprc.org.

— Self-injury and Recovery Research Resources from Cornell University – selfinjury.bctr.cornell.edu.

— Ohio Crisis Hotline: Text 4hope to 741-741

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.

Warning signs

If a person talks about:

– Being a burden to others.

– Feeling trapped.

– Experiencing unbearable pain.

– Having no reason to live.

– Killing themself.

Specific behaviors to look out for:

– Increased use of alcohol or drugs.

– Looking for a way to kill themselves, such as searching online for materials or means.

– Acting recklessly.

– Withdrawing from activities.

– Isolating from family and friends.

– Sleeping too much or too little.

– Visiting or calling people to say goodbye.

– Giving away prized possessions.

– Aggression.

People who are considering suicide often display one or more of the following moods:

– Depression.

– Loss of interest.

– Rage.

– Irritability.

– Humiliation.

– Anxiety.

Source: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

 

 

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