Women Campus | Hello beautiful!: Suicides on College Campuses

Four years ago when I would tell people I was going to Cornell they would obnoxiously say, "don't kill yourself!" It would make me agitated and I would tell people there were no more suicides at Cornell than at any other schools and that Cornell just had a bad reputation.

Cornell's "bad reputation" came to the forefront in February and March of this year when there were three suicides resulting from students jumping into the gorges that decorate my beautiful campus. Bradley Ginsberg '13, William Sinclair '12 and Matthew Zika '11 all presumably (though no one can be certain) committed suicide by jumping into the rocky, icy, dangerous waters—all within one month of each other.

To make matters worse, following these three suicides, Cornell admitted to there being six suicides this school year. While Cornell was claiming to be on par with the national average, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention says that the national average is 7.29 students for every 100,000—therefore Cornell with just under 20,000 students should have around 2 suicides a year.

The three suicides of Ginsberg, Sinclair, and Zika brought the mental health of students and the potential for collegiate suicides to people's attention—making it a major issue to consider today.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death amongst college students. Suicide.org explains that "going to college can be a difficult transition period in which students may feel lost, lonely, confused, anxious, inadequate, and stressed. And these problems may lead to depression. And again, untreated depression is the number one cause for suicide."

Furthermore, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center explains, "college also eliminates some of the safety nets available to young people living at home. It is easier for a young person's problems to go unnoticed when he or she is away at college and not under the eyes of parents, old friends, and high school teachers. College also provides a new opportunity for young people to experiment with drugs or alcohol."

The SPRC outlines just some of the many signs that may indicate a person is considering suicide. These include:

A sudden negative change in school performance. If you notice that someone who used to be passionate about school is now skipping class, not handing in homework assignments, and blowing off studying for tests, it may be because of depression.
Obsession with violence/death. You may notice your friend's Facebook or AIM statuses are morbid and evoke images of death. Maybe her poetry or artwork has become eerie. Or she might start enjoying violent movies, music, and video games. Even violent mood swings (or sudden changes in personality) can be indicators of suicidal thoughts.
Rejection of Friends. If someone is pulling away from her friends who don't understand her anymore she may be having deeper emotional problems and find it easier to pull away than discuss them.
Indications of an abusive relationship. If your friend has an abusive parent or boyfriend—it cannot be ignored. If you are noticing physical or emotional abuse, do something about it.
Eating disorders. Eating disorders are very often a cry for help.
Gender identity issues. Students in the LGBTQ communities may have social pressures and difficulty adjusting, which leads to "higher suicide attempt rates than their heterosexual peers."

In 2005, Suicide.org compiled suicide statistics for the year, which demonstrated the far higher rate at which males—at any age—are committing suicide. In 2005 there were 25,907 male suicides versus 6,730 for females. The youth (ages 15-24) suicide statistics showed a similar trend—3,498 males and 714 females. This is particularly interesting because as women, we tend to have higher levels of depression than men.

In a study in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry, George E. Murphy, M.D. an emeritus professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis wrote: "Women process their experiences with friends. They discuss their feelings, seek feedback and take advice. They are much more likely to tell a physician how they feel and cooperate in the prescribed treatment. As a result, women get better treatment for their depression."

Other than talking to your friends—seriously friendship is one of the best medicines—there are a few things to do when you suspect suicidal thoughts in a friend.

Ask questions: The Mayo Clinic advises people who suspect a loved one is considering suicide that they ask sensitive but direct questions such as "are you thinking about suicide" and "how are you coping with what's happening in your life?"
Look out for the warning signs above.
Get emergency help! Don't leave the person alone if he or she may attempt suicide. Call a family member or friend right away so they know what's going on. Call 911 or take someone to the hospital (but check for signs of a drug overdose or the influence of drugs/alcohol).
Regardless of if there is or isn't an emergency situation, do all you can to offer support. Let your friend know it's ok to seek treatment and she should explore that option, and offer to help her explore this option. Keep communicating with her—bottled up feelings only make suicidal tendencies worse. Be respectful, not judgmental. Don't promise to keep anything a secret—you may need to tell more people so they can help. Offer reassurance—that life isn't always going to be this way forever. And remove dangerous items from her room like guns, medications and knives—plus encourage her to not drink or take drugs.

Suicide is on a lot of people's minds these days. I personally cannot walk from home to class without seeing fences that block the gorges—a successful, yet ugly, form of preventing suicide—and remembering the lives lost at Cornell. But to prevent anymore lives being lost Her Campus encourages you to watch out for your friends and peers, and most importantly to be a friend.

Holly Lau, president of Cornell Minds Matter—a group that is working on responding to campus suicides—explained how student groups can help eliminate suicide triggers.

"[We've responded] by organizing more events that focus on helping students manage the stress in their lives. Our first event after the tragedies was called "Stop the Losses: What Can Students Do?" and it was basically an event open to the entire community where anyone could come and talk about their responses to the losses and also to suggest ways to prevent another occurrence. Currently, we have organized a weekly Peer Support Group for students who need an outlet for their stress. In addition, for the next couple weeks we have 'Wellness Works Wednesdays,' which is a lunch and discussion series where each week we bring in a guest speaker to discuss a topic related to mental health."

Cornell University President David J. Skorton summed up what students should be learning to do very well when he told students: "If you learn anything at Cornell, please learn to ask for help. It is a sign of wisdom and strength."

And we should remember what Lau says: "As college students, we have the opportunity to socialize with many people our age, we have many accomplishments in terms of classes, athletics, and extracurriculars, and we are constantly active and learning."

Embrace this life and your own.