Pat Walker Health Center's Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) is hosting a free screening of The S Word, at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6, at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center.

The S Word is a feature-length documentary that tells the stories of survivors of suicide attempts, along with the families and loved ones of those who are left behind to suffer the anguish, guilt and confusion of death by suicide, the 10th leading cause of death in America.

"Suicide is a difficult topic to discuss, especially on college campuses," said Michele Cooper, suicide prevention coordinator for CAPS. "We hope by bringing The S Word to our campus, we can open the door for people to talk about suicide in a way that is beneficial to the well-being of the entire campus community."

The screening is open to the entire campus community and will include a panel discussion immediately after with director Lisa Klein.

Panel Discussion Participants:

• Lisa Klein, director of The S Word
• Dese'Rae Stage, founder, LiveThroughThis.org, suicide survivor and prevention advocate
• Melanie Scott, survivor of suicide loss
• Michele Cooper, suicide prevention coordinator for CAPS

"Our hope is to engage in a beneficial dialogue that helps our community think about suicide in a different way," said Cooper. "We encourage everyone from the campus community to participate in this important event."

Suicide is the second leading cause of death amongst college students, which is why CAPS continues to increase campus suicide prevention efforts.

CAPS offers 24-hour emergency mental health crisis support at 479-575-5276, as well as Kognito - an interactive training for students, staff and faculty on useful skills to help create a safer community. 

For more information about the film, visit the health center's website.

Special thanks to members of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and Rotaract Fayetteville for their support in helping bring The S Word and director Lisa Klein to campus.