Ex-Lions Quarterback Eric Hipple Speaks at Suicide Prevention Meeting

ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJBK) - A meeting Monday night at St. Joseph School in Orion Township was all about suicide prevention. Last month alone, three former Lake Orion school district students committed suicide. So, if you have anyone in your life that you know or even suspect is thinking about suicide, don't ignore the signs. Just take it from Eric Hipple.

"There's no blame in this thing. Everybody should be involved in working together," he said.

The former Detroit Lions quarterback knows what it means to be strong. As Hipple spoke to a crowd of 200, he shared how all the muscle in the world couldn't prepare him for what happened in 2000. His 15-year-old son took his own life.

"He had every classical symptom that we list as far as not feeling good, kind of achiness, so somatic pains, sleep disturbances," said Hipple.

He was left to deal with the trauma of a tremendous blow.

"I was devastated, and I thought about death myself," he said.

After overcoming depression, Hipple became a depression outreach specialist for the University of Michigan.

"Know that it is treatable and that life will get better and that life is worth living," he explained.

Over the past four years, ten people in the Lake Orion area have taken their own lives.

"It wasn't all students. There were adults that had been to the schools, but they've since graduated," said Tony Rothchild, president of Common Ground. "What's going on in Lake Orion is really going on all around the country."

Every year, an estimated 31,000 suicides happen in the U.S.

Michelle Novak is a counselor at Lake Orion High School. She knows firsthand what parents need to look for.

"Change of behavior, change of friends, becoming a little bit more recluse, some common depression symptoms like that," she said.

Remember, if you're thinking about suicide, "You will weather the storm. As bad as things might seem right now, it will get better," Novak added.

Hipple added that the key to suicide prevention is seeking professional help as soon as you notice the onset of those signs that he and Novak mentioned.