QPR: Ask a Question to Save Lives

Published: 2019
By Josie Evenson

According to data from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 44,965 Americans die by suicide each year, this is equivalent to 123 per day. In the state of Montana, one person dies by suicide every 33 hours, placing Montana with the highest suicide rate per 100,000 people in the Nation. QPR is a suicide prevention training that allows everyone to develop skills to aid in a suicide crisis. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer and walks a person through 3 steps; asking the question, persuading a person who is suicidal to stay alive and referring them to professional help, which will aid in saving a life from suicide. The training is provided from a certified instructor, is an hour long and arms people with tools to help in their own community. Since January of 2018, 152 adults and 94 youth across the state have been trained in QPR. One adult class participant is quoted in saying “QPR is a great tool to have. It allows the everyday person to help someone in need.” One youth who has taken the class has taken the message of saving lives to heart and has created a self-determined project in 4-H that allows her to educate others about suicide prevention. Through this training, Montana community members are learning skills to help save lives.