Suicide and how to deal with it, was discussed by David Onestak, director of the Counseling Center, at a workshop on dealing with traumatic events Tuesday night in Buzzard Hall.

“Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students,” Onestak said. “One in every 10,000 students will die of suicide a year.”

He discussed the warning signs of people who might be thinking about taking their lives, which include changes in academic performance, depressed mood, withdrawal from others and alcohol or drug abuse.

Another important sign is recent loss, such as the death of an important person. “Students take their lives out of this notion they can meet the person in the afterlife,” Onestak said.

The break up of a relationship also can trigger thoughts of suicide.

A person should be direct and ask questions to gather information when talking with someone who is suicidal, he said. They also should listen instead of trying to come up with the right thing to say.

The last thing to do is find someone who can help and not try to counsel the person by one’s self.

There is certain protocol for responding to the death of a student.

The first thing is the initial action taken by a counseling center to gather information, identify individuals who will be affected and hold an emergency meeting to devise a plan of intervention.

The intervention goes through residence life, family, significant others, roommates, witnesses, professors, classmates, campus organizations and the media.

“The best thing to do after something like this happens is to spend time with each other,” Onestak said.

People should know the feelings they have after a traumatic event are normal and accepted.

“You need to take care of yourself,” he said.