The Beatles once said, “All you need is love.”The Beatles were right, according to the national non-profit organization To Write Love on Her Arms. TWLOHA is a movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for those struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.Tomorrow, people on college campuses and in communities nationwide will participate in a “To Write Love on Her Arms Day,” an event where people will write “love” on other people’s arms or their own in order to help support the movement and to show support for those battling depression and those trying to recover, according to the event’s Facebook page.Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds, and an estimated 19 million people nationwide live with depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The TWLOHA movement began in February 2006 from a written story about five days spent with a girl who was denied entry into a drug treatment center, which lead to the initial printing and selling of TWLOHA shirts to pay for the girl’s treatment, according to the Web site.TWLOHA Day had more than 500,000 estimated participants last year, and this year 856,715 people said they would participate as of Wednesday.University students also have options like Mental Health Services at the Student Health Center and The Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center’s crisis line called The Phone, which is specifically for University students.The Phone began in 1970 after six University students committed suicide the year before. The BRCIC came into existence four years later, said Christa Bourk, BRCIC administrative assistant.The 24-hour 924-LSU1 line has experienced 172 calls to date this year from students, a rising trend from the 174 calls in 2007 and 254 calls in 2008.Three percent of this year’s calls are in relation to suicide or suicidal thoughts, and 65 percent of total calls come from female callers. But those numbers may not be a complete profile of student calls, Bourk said.”We have multiple lines [at the BRCIC] besides The Phone where students may call,” Bourk said.The BRCIC has received more than 19,500 calls to date, an increase from the yearly totals of 2007 and 2008, which were 13,277 and 18,717, respectively.The top three subjects for calls to the The Phone are difficulties with interpersonal relationships, dating and depression, Bourk said.”It is important to just listen to the caller,” said Brandi Ducote, a staff trainer for The Phone. “We want to work with the caller and listen because one reason they may be calling is because they don’t have [someone to listen.]”Follow Alex White on Twitter @TDR_awhite.
 
 
 
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