There is always a concern for suicide prevention, but with recent events, it is time that students at Placer know that there is help available for any situation.

“Where do you go if your home is a place of violence, abuse, and fear? If you live inPlacerCounty, you can go to PEACE for Families,” said PEACE for Families, a private, non-profit agency who serves those affected by abuse.

The truth is, when one feels like they have nowhere to go, they will often keep their emotions internal and fall into a depression. In fact, according to Psych Central, an estimated 10-15% of teenagers are depressed. This means that an your average of 30 students, three of those students are suffering from mild to severe depression. Following this statistic, there are an estimated 137 students atPlacerHigh Schoolwho suffer from this illness. Depression is all around us, and much of it is going unnoticed and untreated.

According to Keith Vaughn, “Only approximately 20 percent of depressed teens ever receive help.” The fact of the matter is that we are lucky enough to have resources to treat these individuals, and all of this information is available in the counselor’s office.

But what if one isn’t willing to ask for help? What if one doesn’t want to go to the office and dig through pamphlets or feel comfortable talking to their counselor? There is still help. Sometimes, the most valuable help is talking to a friend or a close relative. And if that is still not enough? There are even still more resources.

Take PEACE for Families for example. This organization, located inRoseville, is dedicated to help people in our area for people who can’t think of home as a safe place.

“PEACE has evolved into a place where victims of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence can find shelter in our safe house, seek counseling, therapy, support, and intervention free of charge,” said PEACE. They even have a crisis hotline, available 24 hours/day; 800-575-5352.

Another resource would be the local Alateen group and meetings. Alateen is a support group “for kids affected by alcoholism,” according to Alateen. Here inAuburn, there is a meeting ever Monday at the Unity Church of Auburn from 7:30-9:00. According to their flyer, there is more information available from Jacki at (530) 320-5933.

But what if it isn’t you that is at risk? If you know someone who you think is at risk of suicide, there are several ways to help. The most important thing to do is talk to him/her openly and honestly to identify their intentions and their problems, help them in resolving them, and giving this person your support.

“If the person is threatening suicide, they or you can call the Suicide Prevention Crisis Line at (916) 368-3111 and talk to a counselor who may have the necessary resources to help this person through a very crucial time,” according to the Family Service Agency of Greater Sacramento.

Placer students need to recognize the impact that their words and actions have on one another, and identify different strategies to help those risking depression and suicide. For further resources, visit http://www.puhsd.k12.ca.us/deloro/office/career/agency.html to find the help that is best fit. With help ranging from eating disorder counselors to residential recovery programs, it is important to look to this easy to use chart to find assistance for you or those around you.