By Megan Alexander
In 2018, the U.S saw a school shooting once every eight days, on average. Since 2009, America has experienced 288 school shootings – 57 times the amount of school shootings other major industrialized nations has seen combined. The U.S. lost 113 people to school shootings last year alone – bringing 2018 to the year with the highest number of school shooting incidents ever recorded.
School shootings leave a lasting impact on families of victims, communities, and the nation as a whole.
Jeremy Richman, the father of Sandy Hook shooting victim Avielle Richman, committed suicide on March 25. His wife said he, “succumbed to the grief that he could not escape.” Richman and his wife founded The Avielle Foundation, which had a mission to “prevent violence and build compassion through neuroscience research, community engagement, and education.”
On February 14, 2018, a student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 students and staff members.
19-year-old Sydney Aiello, a survivor of the shooting, took her own life on March 16. She had been diagnosed with PTSD after the shooting and reportedly suffered from survivor’s guilt. 16-year-old Calvin Desir, another survivor of the Parkland shooting, committed suicide the day after Aiello’s funeral.
UNO Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, Charlene Patterson, wants everyone to look for warning signs in their loved ones to prevent suicides and violent acts.
“If someone who is usually vibrant and outgoing, is all of a sudden withdrawing from activities they usually do, check in on them. If someone appears to have a heightened sense of anxiety or a deepened sadness would be things we would want to look at. It’s a complex question to know exactly how to help someone having suicidal or homicidal thoughts – it really depends on the person. Our services guarantee to do our best to help those in need, but everyone is different, so we would have to meet with the person to determine our professional approach to helping that person. One strategy may not work for another person,” Patterson said.
On January 5, 2011, Millard South High School was forever changed when a student of the school walked into the principal’s office, killing the vice principle, injuring another staff member, then turning the gun on himself, ending his life. Kyler Erickson was in the office the day this happened.
“At the time I was a few feet away, here at Millard South, so I saw and heard way too much. I was diagnosed with PTSD and depression, and it changed my life, so what I do now is I travel the country, talking to middle schools, high schools, colleges, and I just tell these kids that, you’re worth the help. You know, if you need counseling, therapy, if you’re depressed, suicidal. Like let’s get you the help you need, cause there’s a real stigma with it and the stigma says, if you have a broken arm, that’s fine, but if you have a broken brain, it’s weird and keep that to yourself. So really, through telling my story I just hope people know, like, there is help, there are people that care about you, and so let’s do it together. Let’s go get you the help, because your life matters.”
If you or someone you know are struggling, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 and visit the counseling and psychological services on UNO’s campus.
