When Kevin Hines was 19 years old, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Two years later he attempted suicide by jumping off of the Golden Gate Bridge and miraculously survived the 746-foot fall.
Hines now travels across the globe to spread awareness for suicide prevention. He will host an event on campus from 3:30-5 p.m. Monday in the International Ballroom at the Bruce Pitman Center.
The Mental Health Talk will be sponsored by the Counseling and Testing Center. The event is free and open to the public.
“He will talk about what was going through his mind as he was jumping from the bridge,” said Kayla Burke, suicide prevention coordinator at the University of Idaho. “I think that will be pretty intense for a lot of people.”
Hines is also the author of the bestselling book “Cracked Not Broken” and has received many awards for courageously sharing his story with others.
Burke said she called about nine months ago to book Hines for the appearance.
Before the presentation, Hines will present his ten-step guide to maintaining physical and mental wellness at a workshop open to any faculty or staff of the university.
This workshop will take place from 9-11 a.m. Monday in the Aurora room of the Idaho Commons. Any staff members who are interested can sign up online.
Burke, who lost her brother to suicide at a young age, said that she is excited to have Hines come to campus and share his story.
“Kevin has an interesting story because I personally don”t hear much from people who have attempted and survived,” Burke said of the speaker. “I think that more students need to hear that story because it will really inspire students and provides hope to those who are struggling and thinking about killing themselves.”
This event will allow students to gain perspective on how suicidal people think and what some warning signs of a potentially suicidal person may look like, Burke said.
The presentation will last about an hour and will be followed by a Q&A session where students can directly ask Hines about his experience. Also, if a student is interested in talking to Hines one-on-one, Burke said that Hines will be available after the Q&A for any other questions.
“I haven”t been hugely affected by suicide in my life, but his story sounds really interesting,” said UI student Brittany Brown. “I would definitely be interested in hearing how he found happiness after attempting suicide.”
The presentation doesn”t just aim to help those struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, but also will provide information on preventing a friend from attempting suicide.
“(Hines) talks about a lot of the warning signs and behavioral clues he gave off before his attempt and no one around him was really paying attention to that,” Burke said, “As people in the Vandal community we need to be aware when someone needs help.”
Jessica Gee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jaycgeek