The quintessential college experience is often described as a time of exploration and self-actualization. When asked what they would hope to experience during their formative college years, many individuals would be inclined to discuss forging friendships, cultivating meaningful memories and discovering a future profession.
Along with all these triumphs and fond memories, however, many of these individuals will inevitably face heartbreak, failure, loss, depression and countless other obstacles. When a student arrives at his or her university, he or she must navigate through new surroundings and face new challenges without the former network of support from family and friends. Adjusting to a new environment, the demands of a rigorous course load and homesickness create a great deal of stress. When combined with underlying depression and other mental health issues, these dramatic lifestyle changes can lead to thoughts of suicide.
When discussing college, the grim and historically taboo subject of suicide is often left out of the conversation. Understandably, its highly personal nature makes it a difficult topic to openly discuss for both those who have had suicidal thoughts and other members of their community.
In our community, though, it would be ill-advised to ignore discourse regarding suicide. Statistics reported by the American College Health Association (ACHA) show that suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students. If this statistic is not alarming enough, it is important to note that since the 1950s, the suicide rate for teens and young adults ranging from ages 15 to 24 have tripled.
This is exceedingly worrisome when we consider the competitive and challenging atmosphere at Hopkins which contributes to the high levels of stress experienced by students. Fortunately, institutions like the Hopkins Counseling Center exist to provide students with trained psychologists and, if necessary, psychiatrists to help them understand, cope and often overcome whatever issue they are facing. Student groups like A Place to Talk create a safe place to discuss, rather than suppress, both serious personal concerns and daily struggles. Other student groups like Hopkins Emergency Response Organization are there to provide emergency assistance when necessary. These safeguards, especially the Counseling Center, have not only helped, but have also saved countless lives over the years. Clearly these institutions are successful at assisting students who need help.
But in most cases, individuals with suicidal thoughts do not willingly reach out on their own. The social stigma and fear attached with such a decision are often enough to deter them from asking for help. It would thus be beneficial to use members of the student body to help monitor other students. Each and every day, students are constantly interacting with fellow students. We vent to our friends, laugh with our friends and commiserate with our friends. When something’s wrong, it’s often easy for us to tell.
The University, though, lacks an effective vehicle by which to engage the student body in suicide awareness. For those who have not personally felt the visceral pain of losing a loved one who has committed suicide, it is often difficult to empathize with those affected merely by reading an email which briefly outlines possible warning signs. With busy schedules and incessant exams, many students will quickly forget critical information or sadly lose interest in such an important cause as suicide awareness.
Although the annual World Suicide Prevention Day was on Sept. 10, there was no mention of this vitally important day on campus. To raise awareness about suicide prevention and to get students involved, the University should host guest speakers, hold training programs oriented towards surveillance and participate in events targeted at raising awareness. Taking part in nationally recognized prevention weeks and months, participating in community walks and volunteering at nursing homes, hospitals and hospices to help those dealing with depression and loneliness would go a long way in educating students about the importance of suicide prevention.
There is no clear-cut way to deal with suicide prevention; the warning signs and treatment options often differ from person to person. Hopkins`s well-developed Counseling Center and other student outreach programs effectively help students who reach out for help and support. But many students are reluctant to ask for the help that these programs can provide. To this end, the University must work to educate students in monitoring their peers and looking out for warning signs. If our efforts can save just one family from experiencing the heartbreak caused by the loss of a loved one to suicide, it will all be worth it.
