Suicide is preventable and yet 1,100 college students will end their lives each year instead of making it to graduation.

On Thursday, Sept. 21 in the USU ballroom an event titled “Life After Trauma: Understanding the Emotional Impact of Suicide” took place. Joyce Bruggeman, the executive director of Survivors of Suicide Loss, started the difficult topic of suicide and the effects it has on those who were close to the victim.

She began with the admission that her husband suffered from depression, and eventually took his life and his father before him had committed suicide. From this tragic experience she learned first hand the feeling of isolation survivors of suicide endure. Her heavy emotional burden was too much for many people to bear.

Bruggeman said, “We learn to hide because you have the experience of telling someone about your story, and you can see the fear come across their face. You learn who you can share with and that group becomes very small.”

The isolation at such a low point in a person’s life makes them susceptible to drug and alcohol abuse from attempting to numb the pain.

Bruggeman voiced her concerns about numbing emotional pain with substances, “Numbing emotional pain doesn’t help you recover from the experience. It only leads to self-destructive behavior and can lead those affected by suicide to end their own life as well.”

Bruggeman spoke about the anger people feel. She said most people don’t want to hold the victim responsible for their actions. Bruggeman also said survivors will often seek to place the anger on themselves or someone else who was close or involved in the victim’s life.

She urged that we hold the person who committed suicide responsible for their actions because they were the only ones who could save themselves. Bruggeman said “you can hold them responsible without judgment and remain compassionate.”

Bruggeman said six to 10 people are deeply impacted after a suicide, those people carry a higher risk of drug and alcohol abuse, mental health issues and a higher risk of committing suicide themselves if they do not deal with that trauma. The pain ends for the victim, however, it does not disappear. Instead, it multiplies for those who were close to the victim.

For those who are dealing with the sudden and early loss of a loved one, Bruggeman encourages them to find resources, support groups and people who have endured that same experience. Transform the pain before beginning to transmit the pain.

There are many resources available on CSUSM and in the San Diego County. An access line can be reached at (888) 724-7240 intended to give support before or after a crisis.