Since you still won't deal with this, and who can blame you for ignoring it, since it's very bad for your POV, here's another article:
nearwestgazette.com
College campuses grapple with escalating suicide rates
"The outlook for young adults who are not students is worse, as their suicide rate tops those of college students. College seems to be a protective factor because it offers a support network and resources for suicide prevention, said Joseph Hermes, PhD, director of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Counseling Center. Campuses also are safer because firearms are not allowed?guns are the leading means of suicide among people aged 15 to 24."
By Miriam Cintron
Every year, 1,100 U.S. college students commit suicide, and another 24,000 try to kill themselves. For Americans aged 15 to 24, suicide ranks third behind unintentional injury and homicide as a cause of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Worse yet, campus suicide has the potential to increase significantly, as numerous students feel depressed and contemplate killing themselves. Of more than 50,000 students surveyed for the National College Health Assessment by the American College Health Association, about 50% of males and 70% of females reported having felt hopeless, and 40% of males and 60% of females said depression had made it difficult to function. Most disturbingly, about 10 % of males and 11% of females reported seriously considering suicide.
In 2003, the National Survey of Counseling Center Directors found that 81% of the more than 300 directors surveyed reported seeing more students with serious psychological problems than five years before.
The outlook for young adults who are not students is worse, as their suicide rate tops those of college students. College seems to be a protective factor because it offers a support network and resources for suicide prevention, said Joseph Hermes, PhD, director of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Counseling Center. Campuses also are safer because firearms are not allowed?guns are the leading means of suicide among people aged 15 to 24.
Still, the number of college suicides is not insignificant, estimated at 7.5 per 100,000 students.
College students face challenges that can become potential suicide risks, such as being away from home and family, juggling responsibilities such as classes and a job, and, for international students, getting used to a new culture. Jeff Lanfear, PsyD, director of University Counseling Services at DePaul University, said stress also comes from increased competition, isolation from greater dependence on technology, post-9/11 fear, and financial hardship due to government cutbacks of financial assistance.
Suicide warning signs include withdrawal from others, reckless behavior, mood changes, agitation, problems controlling anger, alcohol use, taking drugs, and family history of suicide. In addition, local surges in suicide can become contagious, influencing those already at risk to attempt taking their lives.
Myths surrounding suicide hinder prevention, such as the belief that suicide is a random act or results from stress alone. Also, some people fear that asking others if they have suicidal thoughts could plant the idea in their minds, even if they had not been considering it, according to Maria Devens, PhD, of UIC’s Dept. of Family Medicine. Devens advised not to fear asking such a question if someone they know is at risk and to be persistent if they see a friend is suffering.
“Any expression of suicidal thoughts needs to be taken seriously” as well as any kind of self-mutilation, such as cutting, Devens said.
For someone at risk, a recent acute event such as the death of a family member or a bad breakup can be the final catalyst to decline: one in five completed suicides occur the same day as a crisis or tragedy.
In such a case, a suicidal person should not be left alone, and all means of killing themselves, such as drugs or a gun, should be removed. Although others may try to comfort suicidal people by assuring them things will improve, Devens said the best approach is to let them know that whatever emotional or mental distress they feel is treatable. Substance abuse or mental disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, usually are present in cases of suicide.
When desperate people begin engaging in unhealthy behavior, “that’s a good time to talk to somebody,” Devens added.
Local colleges and universities are making sure students know about the resources available when they need to talk to someone. Many schools have a student support network to prevent suicide and help stressed-out students before they reach the point of desperation.
Primary care as frontline
Doctors and nurses at the Department of Family Medicine at UIC often are the frontline for helping at-risk students, Devens said. Primary care physicians routinely ask students if they are feeling stressed, have experienced mood changes, or have had suicidal thoughts—even when students come in for a physical ailment unrelated to mental health. They “really take care of the whole person,” Devens said.
If a student’s responses indicate a suicide risk, the next step is assessing the person’s intent, support network, and whether they have access to the means to kill themselves. Treatment often involves psychotherapy. Those who are depressed but express no wish to harm themselves or others generally require a less intensive level of service that nonetheless includes “frequent contact” and touching base by phone, Devens explained.
UIC often holds presentations on stress and drug abuse, which are factors that can lead to suicide. Also, based on the success of a stress management seminar in July, the Department of Family Medicine has organized Helping the Emotionally Distressed Student (HEDS), an interactive program that will demonstrate relaxation and breathing techniques and provide handouts with resources and coping strategies. This free event is open to UIC students and the public and will be held at noon on Tuesday, Nov. 7, at UIC’s Student Center East.
Although HEDS is designed to help all students deal with stress, regardless of whether they are suicidal, it was created in the aftermath of four UIC student suicides last year. The program is an “effort to further enhance the network of faculty and staff to be prepared to help students who are distressed,” said Hermes of UIC’s Counseling Center. “Overall on campus, there is an increasing effort to identify students who may be at risk” of being emotionally distressed and to respond to those signs.
The Counseling Center “helps train and enhance the availability and presence of support,” Hermes added. The center advises faculty and staff to be aware of students whose behavior suddenly changes or who has psychological difficulties impairing their ability to learn, such as excessive fear of criticism, perfectionism, or loss of motivation. The center also teaches faculty and staff how to make referrals, including arranging private time to talk and offering support without judgment.
As part of HEDS, Counseling Center staff are available to speak to individual university departments or student groups. Presentations are tailored according to the group’s needs; they can be interactive or include a showing of the “emotionally involving film” The Truth about Suicide, after which staff from the center help “facilitate proactive discussion,” Hermes explained.
For more information on any of these resources, UIC students can call the Department of Family Medicine at (312) 996-2901 or the Counseling Center at (312) 996-3490 or visit www.counseling.uic.edu. The Counseling Center’s InTouch Hotline at (312) 996-5535 is available from 6 to 10:30 p.m. every day.
Campus outreach
The Illinois Institute of Technology’s Counseling Center “is aimed at supporting students coping and helping them to avoid self-destructive behaviors such as suicide,” said Dan Kaplan, PhD, the center’s director.
At-risk students undergo psychotherapy, but IIT’s suicide prevention goes beyond that to educate parents, faculty, and staff so “they know how to identify students in distress and how to refer them to our Counseling Center,” Kaplan said.
IIT also offers 24-hour on-call consultation for campus professional staff and trains resident advisors to help students who display warning signs and seem to be at risk.
In late September, the Counseling Center ran the campus’s Suicide Prevention Week, which included suicide statistics quizzes. The center also distributed yellow ribbons symbolizing suicide awareness, suicide pamphlets, and “wallet cards with basic instructions on what to do if a friend comes to you with suicidal thoughts,” Kaplan said.
The center recently hosted a luncheon at IIT’s International Center to discuss depression and stress among international students and “gather ideas for future outreach ideas” to address this group’s unique needs, Kaplan added.
For more information, IIT students can call the Counseling Center at (312) 808-7132 or visit www.iit.edu/~cc/index.html. Though the center is not open to the public, it does consult with people who are concerned about an IIT student.
A creative approach
In September 2005, Columbia College was one of 22 U.S. colleges to receive a Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act grant, which helped the school expand its suicide prevention programs, Making Connections and Education and Empowerment.
Education and Empowerment focuses on making students aware of suicide risk factors and educates them on the signs that someone may be suicidal.
As for Making Connections, Columbia took a cue from its “artistic, creative approach to learning” and arts-based curriculum to ensure this workshop involves dance therapy and is “body based and very experiential,” said Shannon Lengerich, dance/movement therapist and project director of the college’s Campus Suicide Prevention Program.
Dance therapy includes breathing techniques and is conducted in residence halls and classrooms. It has received a great response from participating students, Lengerich said.
Making Connections takes an indirect approach to stress management by encouraging students to check in with themselves and be aware of their bodies. The trick is to identify their own sources of stress in order to recognize them in others.
Making Connections is not just about suicide prevention, however, as the workshop also builds life skills and make students more aware of their own body signals. It was created in 2002 in honor of 25-year-old Shannon Hardy, a dancer who took her own life that year. The workshop was developed when Hardy’s mother approached Susan Imus, chair of the Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling Department, with the idea. The workshop was held all over the city and neighboring suburbs but were not brought to Columbia’s campus until after the school received the grant. Students in need of assistance can call Columbia’s suicide hotline at (800) 273-TALK.
In the works?
There are no suicide prevention programs at Malcolm X College because suicide has not been an issue there, said Zerrie Campbell, the college’s president. Campbell has worked at the college the past 14 years and is “not aware of any deaths by suicide” among the school’s students.
Malcolm X College may not reflect national suicide statistics because it is an urban community college where the average student is 29 years old. Students commute and see their family and friends regularly, so they may not feel as isolated as those living in college dorms, Campbell speculated. Still, Malcolm X College students must cope with the everyday stress of getting an education and the challenge of being successful in school. Campbell intends to look into the possibility of a suicide prevention program and “pay closer attention to it.”
For now, students who feel stressed or believe someone they know may be suicidal can speak with their college advisor who has “access to resources outside of academic resources,” Campbell concluded.
Multi-approach program
University Counseling Services’ Lanfear said DePaul University has several approaches to suicide prevention, involving students, parents, the Counseling Center, and student services departments. Suicide is an “important topic for the whole college community,” he said.
When students come in as freshmen, they undergo a thorough orientation to learn about counseling services. The Counseling Center also addresses stress management and test anxiety with new students.
Lanfear noted parents are informed of counseling services and kept involved because they are a significant source of students’ health information.
Besides teaching faculty and staff how to recognize distressed students, the Counseling Center offers stress reduction and mind-body groups. Students are screened routinely for suicidal thoughts when they come to the center, even if they do not mention them.
For students who need more intensive services than the center can provide, the staff makes referrals and maintains connections with area hospitals. In serious cases, students are allowed to take a quarter or more off if needed to get help before returning to school.
Also at DePaul, the Student Welfare Task Force meets monthly. It consists of staff from various student services departments such as the Counseling Center, University Ministry, Public Safety, and Student Affairs. Students at greater risk usually come to the attention of several departments, so staff often discuss individual students as well as issues important to the general student population. For more information, call the DePaul University Community Mental Health Center at (773) 325-7780.
|
