Case Study of Suicide Prevention for University Students

Suicide affects and destroys many families and takes too many lives each year. Despite it being somewhat of a taboo topic, it is important to be aware of the consequences of suicide and what is being done to prevent it. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States and took nearly 45,000 deaths last year. For every suicide death, there are roughly 25 suicide attempts. (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2017). In the past few years, there has been a rise in suicide prevention programs. Programs are being implemented into schools and universities and offered at community centers as well. Suicide prevention is a major public health priority, as recognized by the Prioritized Research Agenda for Suicide Prevention,

In 1975 the State of Washington enacted a law that stated that no person was to aid or encourage a person to commit suicide in any given circumstance. This law had some insight pertaining to teenagers because the state didn’t want teenagers to be encouraged in committing suicide. After all, all life is valued and precious. However Dr. Harold Glucksberg in 1976 got together with four other physicians, three terminally ill patients, and a non-profit organization that counsels clients in end of life circumstances.

The United States takes the eleventh spot in the top fifteen causes of death because of suicide. For our youth suicide is the third leading cause of death. In today’s society suicide in our youth is becoming a huge issue. Recently, youth suicide in Delaware has been a concerning topic. With the many suicides that have been taking place; we ask ourselves why is this happening to Delaware’s youth? It’s quite sad reading of all the lives taken at such young ages. It’s still questionable on the real reasons why so much of our youth want to cut their life short. There are numbers of things on why possibly our youth would want to commit suicide. There is one reason that has been proven to be the head cause and that is mental illness. A mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions and disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness includes depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors. (Staff, 2012) Some other causes may be bullying, drug and alcohol abuse and physical and sexual abuse. Youth that die by suicide believes that suicide is the only option at that moment; however Delaware has several resources available to prevent youth suicide.

The current suicide rate among 15- to 24-year olds is quite disturbing. Growing in numbers since 2007, the latest toll taken in 2013 on suicide within college settings is 11.1 deaths per 100,000 people (Scelfo, 2015). According to the article Suicide on Campus and the Pressure of Perfection, Pennsylvania State University had six students commit suicide in a 13-month stretch (Scelfo, 2015). Suicide within college settings are usually linked with severe depression. As mentioned by Kevin Breel in the Confessions of a Depressed Comic Ted Talk, depression is not sadness, real depression is being sad when everything in your life is going right and this, this I can personally relate to.

Suicide has historically been and continues to be a significant issue in the United States, for civilians as well as active duty military service members and veterans. While statistics surrounding suicide appear to be just numbers on a page, I personally implore the reader of the following paper to never lose sight of the fact that those numbers represent real people. Each one of those people, be they civilian or military, represent a loss of a father or a mother, a brother or a sister, a son or a daughter, a best friend, a comrade, …a person whose life, and that life’s potential, is now forever lost. The following statistics on suicide rates in the United States do not differentiate if the individual was a civilian, an active duty

Have you ever been through a tough situation and felt like there was no solution? Many people do and unfortunately many people also solve their solution by ending their life. In fact, every 13 minutes, someone commits suicide in the U.S (http://www.save.org/). Whether your friends or acquaintances, chances are you will know someone who has committed suicide. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Urban Meyer, current coach of the Ohio State football team, once stated, “Are you going to be the problem or the solution?” An organization known as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) has decided they will be the solution to suicide.

Suicide has had ramifications in adulthood. A story by Fox News in Helena, Montana reported on a murder suicide. The victims’ daughter discusses how her father, Augustine, was in “denial about having mental health problems” (Fox News, 2015). Mr. Bournes cut off communication with his daughter and killed his wife and their three young children, set their house on fire and killed himself.

In this article, the author provides a description of various institutional changes, ranging from policy changes to information dissemination, that is designed to prevent suicide on college campuses in the United States. The purpose of this article is not to offer an extensive review of campus-wide suicide prevention measures. Rather it is to outline recent information on campus suicides in the United States and to highlight reports from professional and mainstream sources, including monthly publications and websites, concerning institutional changes arising from and designed to decrease campus

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. The word catches everyone’s attention; it is the actions leading up to the suicide that goes unnoticed. Unfortunately, the suicide rates continue to increase, and the why remains unknown. In the United States, 44,193 American's died by suicide in 2015 with the state of Kentucky ranking 19th for the highest suicide rates (American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, 2015). In the state of Kentucky, there is a suicide every 12 hours (American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, 2015). Additionally, suicide is the second leading cause of death among the youth population in the state of Kentucky (Kentucky Center for School Safety, 2016). Suicide has the potential to impact everyone without discrimination. Therefore,

Mr. Morris is a 36 year old male who presented to the ED with Suicidal ideation without a plan. Before the assessment QP received a call from the patient's mother who informed QP her primary concern with her son is his substance abuse and recent thought of self harm. She reports he has expressed suicidal ideation the past few weeks since he has returned to her home. At the time of the assessment Mr. Morris denies suicidal ideation, history of attempts, homicidal ideation, and symptoms of psychosis. He does reports a history of PTSD from seeing his uncle get killed in 1999, however no mental health hospitalizations. Mr. Morris states, "No, Not really thinking about harming myself, just situational stuff." He continues to state, "I just don't see the point of living sometimes, with all the stuff been going with me these past few months, but I have 2 daughter to live for and the people who do care about me." He reports consuming alcohol most of the day and feelings of depression for the past 3 weeks. His

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

Day to day, teens suffer from peer pressure, problem from home, and stress from academics. Despise their status in the environment, majority of high school students refrain from acknowledging the presence of their reality. The problem in most situations in that students feel shut in, trapped in a never ending misery. How do they cope? What are their ways of dealing? Most students live in denial. Others have friends to confide in. For the devastating part, most students are not as open to these ideas and it leaves them with this alternative: suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause in teens the ages 14 to 19 within rural underserved areas. Suicidal ideation (SI), suicidal thoughts, were surveyed in over 12 high schools and it was found that in the past year, thoughts of (SI) were not shared with peers or even adults in the pursuit of receiving help or support (Pisani, 2012). Because a student spends most of their day at school, it is ideal for schools to provide realistic opportunities and school-based programs to assist with the suicide among the youth. The Surviving the Teens Suicide Prevention and Depression Awareness Program designed four 50 minute session or each high school student. This presented information in regards to factual information about depression, suicidal warning signs, suicidal risk factors and myths associated with suicide (King, 2010). The program provide coping strategies for everyday life, referral sources if feeling suicidal, and how to recognize

Three people in my life have completed suicide; my uncle, my mom’s late fiance, and my step brother on my dad’s side, within four years of each other. I’ve witnessed each parental figure in my life become compromised by grief and the inevitable pain accompanying it, and I’ve seen the way depression can plague someone so deeply, even without the ending of suicide. The prevalence and growing numbers of deaths by suicide calls for a revised manner of education on all mental illnesses and the preventative measures one can take to reduce risk. Initially, when I heard of the Suicide Prevention Week Keynote event with Jamie Tworkowski (founder of ‘To Write Love On Her Arms’) I was thrilled. Hosting such an event on a college campus, presenting to a population greatly affected by mental illness, is demonstrative of the steps that should be taken toward raising awareness. Any opportunity for a comprehensive view on mental health and its significance is one to be taken advantage of. However, as the night proceeded, I did take note of several things that would improve the layout of any future events, as well as further deepen an individual’s comprehension of mental illness.

It can be prevented. How many times through the years have we heard this said about suicide? It seems that every time there is a suicide we get a lesson on how suicide is preventable. If suicide is so preventable than why is the suicide rate increasing among college students? According to the SPP (Suicide Prevention Program) for college students, every year in the United States, approximately 1,100 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 commit suicide, and nearly 24,000 attempt it.” Suicide among college students is a persistent problem, especially among college freshman. The fact that suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students is mind blowing. Webster's dictionary defines suicide as “the act or an instance of taking one’s own life voluntarily and intentionally.” Why do people, like college students who seemingly have their entire future ahead of them, simply give up and turn away from life?” We may never find the answer to this question but we can learn the warning signs of suicide and be better prepared to handle and thus prevent suicide attempts.