QPR can help prevent suicides, speaker says

YOUNGSTOWN

The smallest word of encouragement could provide a very big positive impact on someone considering suicide.

That is one of the primary things that Rosie Deslandes, a clinical supervisor at Alta Behavioral Healthcare, took away from a presentation on QPR, a suicide prevention gatekeeper program, and roundtable discussion about suicide Wednesday at her place of employment.

“The biggest thing is not to be apprehensive that by talking to someone about suicide you might put the thought into someone’s head,” said Deslandes of Canfield, a graduate of Wilson High School and Youngstown State University.

“Even kids can help their peers,” said Jamie Miller, Alta clinical director.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of deaths in youth and young adults, said Angela Kearns, mental health liaison at Alta, who presented the program. QPR is an acronym for Question ... a person about suicide; Persuade ... someone to get help, and Refer ... someone to the appropriate resource.

The program is designed to train gatekeepers that, with these three simple steps, anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide, said Kearns. Gatekeepers can be parents, peers, clergy or co-workers, among others.

Read more about the program in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.