Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. A suicidal person may not ask for help, but that doesn’t mean that help isn’t wanted. Suicide may result from distorted rational thinking and decision-making, not from a lack of character or moral weakness. Suicidal thoughts or attempts can be triggered by a major life stress such as a loss or threat of loss (e.g., death of family/friend, end of a significant relationship, being academically dismissed from school). Suicidal persons tend to give clues to those around them. Approximately eighty percent of people who have attempted suicide discussed their intent to do so with someone around them. Some of the high risk indicators of suicidal intent are suicidal thoughts; a negative perception of life; intense feelings of hopelessness, futility, helplessness, and burdensomeness, particularly if accompanied by anxiety; feelings of alienation and isolation; the idea that death is an agent for the cessation of distress; a personal and/or family history of depression; a personal and/or family history of previous attempts; a history of substance abuse; and/or a history of self-damaging acts. The suicidal student who alerts someone is often intensely ambivalent about killing him/herself and usually is open to discussing his or her suicidal concerns with someone. Students who talk about or write a lot about death and dying, have a specific plan for killing themselves; have a means (such as medication, knives, or a gun); abuse alcohol and other substances; and/or tend to be socially isolated are considered at greater risk to make a lethal suicide attempt.
Imminent danger signs include highly disruptive behavior (hostility, aggression); inability to communicate clearly (disjointed thoughts, slurred speech); loss of contact with reality (seeing/hearing things that are not there, beliefs or actions at odds with reality); overt suicidal thoughts and gestures (suicide is a current option); and homicidal threats. In such cases, call 911 (9-911 from a campus phone) and inform Counseling Services or Student Health, and then a supervisor or department head.