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Suicide In College

Suicide In College is a rising issue in today's society. In the United States, more and more college students are taking there lives at a rapid increasing rate. Suicide is the second cause of death within college students according to Deborah Taub.These student suicides and suicide attempts can happen on campus, off campus, and in the dorms that the colleges offer. Suicide wasn't always accepted colleges didn't want to accept that it was a thing happening at their school but, eventually it was brought to their attention. It took five people to commit suicide at a college in Michigan for someone to do a study on college suicide according the article College can be Killing.So they started creating programs to help their students while they attend college. The National Mental Health association has come up with seven different approaches for schools to use when it comes to suicide; identify students who are at risk, increase students help seeking behavior ,provide mental health services,follow crisis management procedures, restrict access to potentially lethal means,develop life skills and promote social network. Since then research has been done on college suicide and, improvements have been made to help focus on students who are at risk. At risk would be according to Deborah and Jalonda people who have the following problems; "mental illness, alcohol and other substance abuse, hopelessness, impulsiveness and/or aggressiveness, history of trauma or abuse, previous suicide attempt, a family history of suicide, some major physical illnesses, barriers to effective care, lack of social support, stigma associated with help seeking".Now schools are required to have school psychologist, counselors, and other trained staff within the college.

Ways to Seek Help

Now that colleges have accepted the fact that students commit suicide people have come up with multiple ways to help college students. Counseling has been a very common way to receive help and not only do they help with suicidal people, but they also help with other mental health issues. And for those people who fall between the cracks and feel like counseling isn't for them. There is rehab where specialized doctors are there for people and they focus on the persons specific needs. Hotlines also exist and they can be very helpful to someone who is shy or nervous to go out and show themselves. Instead they can call a support line and someone is always ready to support or talk with the person about whatever they want they're there to support the person and possibly give them that talk that they have been needing/seeking. Other great ways to get help is by helping yourself set good habits, eat healthier, exercise, join a club of some sort, and think positive. Doing these things have been found to reduce chances in suicide

How colleges can help suicidal students

The first step the college can take in helping their students is by providing systematic training to all staff members. This would be beneficial because students create bonds with certain staff members therefore if they are feeling down or suicidal then they can reach out to their teacher, and if the school has all their staff trained then the teacher would be able to know what to do or say to the student. Another thing colleges can do is have a counselling center with flyers everywhere to let the students know that they have that option, and of course walk in hours available because someone who is suicidal shouldn’t be put on hold they need immediate attention.