At a time when suicide rates remain high among young people in Japan, some college students are coming together to learn what they can do to detect the telltale signs of a friend in trouble and become suicide prevention guardians.
The painful experiences young people sometimes go through that may lead to suicide, the methods of dealing with trauma and the support that can be provided to a person to help give them reasons to live are among the subjects taught in the psychology department of Nara University in Nara Prefecture.
Sociology professor Jin Ota, 68, teaches the seminar to students out of a sense of urgency, realizing that many young people have lost the meaning and value of their lives. Some of the topics he discusses include cyberbullying and truancy among young children.