Suicide Prevention
Preparing for exams, balancing work and school, managing finances, navigating relationships, and finding time for extracurricular activities ... college life is stressful. For many students, these stressors can quickly add up and become unbearable. Unfortunately, some see their situation as hopeless, and their thoughts turn to suicide.
More than 1,000 college students commit suicide annually, and the number is steadily increasing.
- Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young adults (ages 20-24)
- More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza and chronic lung disease combined. Source: Centers for Disease Control
In an effort to counteract these alarming facts, SIUE has strengthened its commitment to student safety and support through an initiative to Create Awareness, Recognition and Education (iCARE) about suicide and prevention. iCare was originally a project funded by a Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention Grant through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The three-year grant (September 2015 – September 2018) was awarded to SIUE Counseling Services, SIUE School of Pharmacy and SIUE School of Nursing to improve the presence of suicide prevention and awareness efforts on campus. The work of iCARE will continue after the close of the grant to assist in sustaining best practices for suicide prevention.
iCare Goals:
- Increase student, faculty, staff, and family awareness of the impact of suicide and recognition of risk factors
- Educate students, faculty, staff, and families, other gatekeepers on the warning signs of a student in crisis, protective factors, and appropriate actions
- Reduce negative stigma associated with engaging mental health services
- Review or develop policies, procedures, and practices on campus as it relates to crisis management, reporting, and prevention
Facts
In 2013, 0.6 percent of people age 18 and over attempted suicide. During the same period of time, 7.5 percent of those 18-25 seriously considered suicide. Rates of suicide among young people attending college are actually significantly lower than among those not attending college.
Although women are more likely to attempt suicide, men die by suicide four times more often than women.
The rate of suicide among white Americans, Native Americans and Alaska natives is approximately the same, approximately 15.5 suicides per 100,000 people each year. The suicide rate of Blacks, Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics is approximately six suicides per 100,000 people each year. Suicide rates in Native Americans and Alaska Natives peak during adolescence and young adulthood. (Source: The Jed Foundation)
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Protective Factors
Protective factors are circumstances or situations in a person’s life that help protect them from suicide. These include means restriction (keeping potentially lethal means for suicide out of the hands of a person struggling with suicidal thoughts or urges), having access to adequate behavioral health care, having strong coping skills and resilience, connecting to supportive people or a supportive community, having a sense of purpose in life and having cultural or religious beliefs that discourage suicide. (Source: Jed Foundation)
