Causes Of Suicide Among College Students

The mental stability of college students has dropped to a staggering low, so low that 1 in 4 college students have reported that the have had suicidal thoughts and actions. That's just the amount that have reported that they are feeling suicidal. So many college students struggle with mental illness and receive no help or guidance in curing and dealing with their illnesses.

The up rise in mental health illness amongst college students has become a growing public health concern nationwide (Byrd 2012, McKinney 2012). Rising incidents have led to increased rates of suicide, depression and a variety of mental health illnesses which vary in complexity, severity and prevalence within many U.S college campuses (Arria 2012). Despite the increasing volume of now known mental health cases, many students are still not seeking psychological treatment (Aselton 2012). In an era where depression and suicide have become leading causes of death amongst adolescents and young adults (Farabough 2012, Hirsch 2007), efforts must be made to treat these mental health concerns as early and diligently as possible. The University of Maryland Baltimore County is a melting pot of students with cultural, mental and physical diversity. This paper/presentation will aim to discuss a variety of issues which depict the common predictors of depression, barriers to seeking care, student’s knowledge/ attitudes and beliefs about counseling services.

Depression and suicide are becoming increasingly problematic for students currently in college. Spreading awareness and taking the stigma off of these issues is essential to helping those who are struggling come forward and seek help. By doing this, students can learn how to cope with their thoughts and feelings that are part of their illness in order to become stronger people as they enter the workforce. Constant financial and societal pressure to succeed can take a mental toll on college students, but by educating both teachers and students about the warning signs of depression and suicide, as well as how to help, it is possible to lower the frequency or risk of these illnesses in today’s college students.

Mental health among college students has been proven to be a relevant social issue that our society faces. There are certainly a few different institutions that play a large role within the development of this social issue. The first institution, and the primary institution at play with this issue, is the higher education system. In terms of mental health and having access to resources, college students haven’t always been as lucky as they are today. One study in 2007 explains the story of Junior at Syracuse University (Kravets, 3081). Anita Rutman had a history of mental health issues; she even found herself being admitted to a mental health hospital. One morning in February, she threw herself off of the eighth floor of Boland Hall and landed on a patio and fortunately lived. However, her attempt stemmed from the university sending her letter three days prior that informed Anita that the school was planning to dismiss her because of her suicidal tendencies (Kravets, 3081). Anita later sued Syracuse for ten million dollars for malpractice and negligence in handling her condition.

Doctor Constance Scharff pens an article discussing suicide on college campuses and the overwhelmed mental health system that is responsible for monitoring the students’ needs (Scharff, 2015). The article mentions that college aged students more frequently receive mental health services as youth to be able to handle the college stressors in the future. This trend the facilities are ill equipped to deal with the more complicated mental health issues like suicide. Unlike other articles reporting on suicide, this article promotes positive ways to deal with the stressors instead of blaming the system for the rise in deaths or problems.

In 2004 Congress enacted the Campus Suicide Prevention initiative which provides funds through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Mental Health Services, to college campuses nationwide (Smulson, 2016). The Campus Suicide Prevention initiative supports program activities, mental health screening services, and prevention strategies to form a foundation for mental health promotion, suicide prevention, and substance abuse prevention (Smulson, 2016). While research shows that mental and behavioral health supports can improve student life and functioning, the program falls short in some areas.

Suicide is the intentional act of killing oneself. Typically individuals who commit suicide act out of despair. Common suicide triggers are mental disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and alcoholism and drug abuse. Personal issues such as financial problems or poor interpersonal relationships play a significant role in the cause of suicide (Gross, 2006).In the U.S suicide is the 6th cause of death. Suicide is also the leading cause of death among teenagers and young adults, more men commit suicide than women (Gelder et al, 2005).Leenar and Lester article mention important information about the general knowledge about suicide in college students. However relevant information is missing.

Things like self-esteem, loneliness, self-doubt, and depression can often be factors some are forced to face (Michael, pg. 61). As it is the second leading cause of death and affects approximately 14.8 million people 18 years old and above, it is no surprise that college and university students are faced with this growing epidemic. According to the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA), the number of students diagnosed with depression had increased over a four-year span. In 2000, the ACHA-NCHA reported 10.3% of students suffering with depression and by 2004 that same time of year, 14.9% reported depression across 74 campuses in the U.S. with a sample size of 47,202.

Too many acts of self destruction occur on college campuses each year, whether it is through binge drinking, anorexia or self-mutilation, the root of all of these displaced outlets of release is depression. This scary fact is one that all college students need to seriously face and look for not only within themselves but within their friends as well. On the campus here at Northeastern University, we have had one reported suicide this year from an icon in our sports program, Joseph Connelly Gazzola, which has hit some people hard. As reported in the Boston Globe by Martha Bartle on February 16, 2004, “Mr. Gazzola's father, Louis, of North Attleborough, yesterday confirmed that his son had taken his own life.” But Northeastern is not alone. NYU has had four deaths this year from what appears to have been suicide.

According to the Centers for Desires Control and Prevention (CDC) suicide was the tenth leading cause of death of Americans in 2013. It is clear that suicide among student is a very severe problem and public health has a goal of preventing suicide among students by applying different strategies. Students are the young population of the United State of America (USA) and they should be healthy both mentally and physically in order to maintain and build a stronger

Although mental health has become a big issue across the U.S., it is especially becoming a problem in college. Suicide has become the “normal,” even though it’s unheard of primarily because of the stigma. Don’t believe me? Are you willing to tell me that stress is normal and to have thoughts of taking your own life while trying to juggle the responsibilities of being an adult is normal? Before you jump to any conclusions, let's take a look at my argument. Mental health has a negative effect on college students.

Teen Suicide is an escalating health concern that affects us all According to the American Psychological Association, teen suicide is the third-leading cause of death for those 15-24 years of age. This should never be acceptable.

The world is such a cruel place for teens. We are stuck in between being an adult and a child. We are treated differently based on our looks what we like who we like what we wear what music we listen to what shows we watch who we watch on youtube. And you wonder why suicide is the number one leading cause of death among teens in america. There is 1 suicide for every 25 attempted suicides. Males make up 79% of all suicides, while women are more prone to having suicidal thoughts. 1 in 65,000 children ages 10 to 14 commit suicide each year. There are 2 times as many deaths due to suicide than HIV/AIDS. Yet no one does anything about it. Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year. Approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying. 17% of American students report being bullied 2 to 3 times a month or more within a school semester. 1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will only intervene 4% of the time. This proves teachers do nothing when they see a student being bullied. We get bullied for just about everything. For example, how smart we are if we are considered pretty enough, if we play sports or not. Who here has heard of challange day and who has gone? Whoever has gone to challange day if you truly paid attention you would have learned a lot about my life and what i've gone through. We do this activity where there are two likes parallel to each other and we are told to stand on one side. After we are all on one side they ask

Regarding public health, suicide has and continues to be a major issue, accounting for 40,000 deaths per year within the general population of the United States alone (cite). While the devastating effects of suicide impacts the entire population, what is even more alarming is the epidemic of death by suicide within the college student population, with this age cohort at a dramatically higher risk for suicide when compared to the public. Therefore, it is unfortunately not surprising that death by suicide is noted as the second leading cause of death for the college student demographic, yielding approximately 1,100 deaths each year (cite). Similarly to the general population, there are at-risk groups within the college community that place individuals at a higher risk of suicidal behaviors such as ideation and attempts (cite). Some of these at-risk groups include LGBT, first generation, and international students (cite). Additionally, there are environmental factors that college students will experience through this transitional period that will also contribute to this demographic being at a higher risk of suicide.

High School students are some of the highest rated teens to be susceptible to committing suicide. Teen suicide is definitely a growing concern due to the many pressures placed upon them to compete with their fellow classmates and the overall risk factors in their changing perceptions of competing for acceptance as a whole. Also, there are many factors that contribute to the rising number of suicides from bullying, sexual orientation, stress, and depression.