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No Swan Dive in College Suicide
Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Dr. Patricia A. Farrell
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ: The young college junior walked in the dimly lit streets to the college library, swiped his card, entered and made his way to the upper floors of the building. Moments later, he came flying down the open atrium to the marble floor below; dead. It's a tale that sounds like the beginning of a made-for-TV movie, but it's not, it's something that happens all too often at schools around the world.
One school saw a spate of four suicides during one year All of them were bright, promising students with great futures. In another highly competitive school, a student set herself on fire, another jumped from a dorm roof while her friends partied nearby. Several students were found dead in library individual study cells. Some students kill themselves and others kill fellow students or their professors. What happens?
Going away to college for the first time is difficult. Even entering graduate study at universities or medical, dental or other professional schools can be daunting. For all of them, this will be a time of some anxiety and challenge as they adjust to new friends, new instructors, new environments and new demands.
Each Fall some students will find the demands too much, even if they're not freshmen. This usually occurs around exam time. In some countries, suicides rise for students when they receive the fateful notice about whether or not their education will be a professional one or they will be tracked elsewhere. Little pieces of mail or a posting on a board where the student sees their future written out in small black lettering can mean the difference between struggling on or ending it.
All universities and high schools have counseling for students in distress and some have special teams of students trained to assess and help with students who have thoughts of suicide. Counseling is helpful and any instructor or parent who has a concern should contact the counseling office and discuss help for their student. This isn't something where we can show too much concern. Even the smallest degree of concern has to be acted on.
Students who may have decided that there's no hope for them may do a very good job of hiding their intentions, but there may be a small sign in something they say or do that can reveal the hidden thought. Don't over-react, but don't ignore it.
Suicide Warning Signs
Generally, there are behavior changes and, often, these are seen as nothing unusual in college students who tend to overextend themselves in terms of sleep and partying. But here are some things to look for and these include:
1. Changes in classroom performance, listlessness, feeling detached from others
2. Missing class or dropping out of activities
3. Problems with concentration, inattentiveness or sleeping in class
4. Rebellious or disruptive behavior
5. A loss of interest in activities they usually enjoy
6. Themes of death, suicide or doom in written or artistic works
The belief that giving away prized possessions is one of the hallmarks of suicide intention isn't necessarily so. In fact, people who have decided to commit suicide may not give any of the usual warning signs. They may, in fact, seem at peace and almost happy because they've decided on a solution that will end their pain.
The One Thing You Can Do
One thing that parents, friends and school officials can do is to keep the lines of communication open. Talk to your child when he/she comes home from school. Ask how they're doing and be supportive and loving. We don't need any more funerals for young people who kill themselves just when their lives are beginning to flower.
http://www.drfarrell.net
One school saw a spate of four suicides during one year All of them were bright, promising students with great futures. In another highly competitive school, a student set herself on fire, another jumped from a dorm roof while her friends partied nearby. Several students were found dead in library individual study cells. Some students kill themselves and others kill fellow students or their professors. What happens?
Going away to college for the first time is difficult. Even entering graduate study at universities or medical, dental or other professional schools can be daunting. For all of them, this will be a time of some anxiety and challenge as they adjust to new friends, new instructors, new environments and new demands.
Each Fall some students will find the demands too much, even if they're not freshmen. This usually occurs around exam time. In some countries, suicides rise for students when they receive the fateful notice about whether or not their education will be a professional one or they will be tracked elsewhere. Little pieces of mail or a posting on a board where the student sees their future written out in small black lettering can mean the difference between struggling on or ending it.
All universities and high schools have counseling for students in distress and some have special teams of students trained to assess and help with students who have thoughts of suicide. Counseling is helpful and any instructor or parent who has a concern should contact the counseling office and discuss help for their student. This isn't something where we can show too much concern. Even the smallest degree of concern has to be acted on.
Students who may have decided that there's no hope for them may do a very good job of hiding their intentions, but there may be a small sign in something they say or do that can reveal the hidden thought. Don't over-react, but don't ignore it.
Suicide Warning Signs
Generally, there are behavior changes and, often, these are seen as nothing unusual in college students who tend to overextend themselves in terms of sleep and partying. But here are some things to look for and these include:
1. Changes in classroom performance, listlessness, feeling detached from others
2. Missing class or dropping out of activities
3. Problems with concentration, inattentiveness or sleeping in class
4. Rebellious or disruptive behavior
5. A loss of interest in activities they usually enjoy
6. Themes of death, suicide or doom in written or artistic works
The belief that giving away prized possessions is one of the hallmarks of suicide intention isn't necessarily so. In fact, people who have decided to commit suicide may not give any of the usual warning signs. They may, in fact, seem at peace and almost happy because they've decided on a solution that will end their pain.
The One Thing You Can Do
One thing that parents, friends and school officials can do is to keep the lines of communication open. Talk to your child when he/she comes home from school. Ask how they're doing and be supportive and loving. We don't need any more funerals for young people who kill themselves just when their lives are beginning to flower.
http://www.drfarrell.net
Patricia A. Farrell, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Patricia A. Farrell, Ph.D., LLC
Englewood Cliffs, NJ
