Office of Student Affairs > Faculty/Staff Resources > Suicide

Faculty/Staff Resources

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Suicide

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among college-age youth. Some information suggests that the rate may be lower for enrolled college students than for others in the 15-24 age group. Data also suggests that suicide is more prevalent among older students (when compared to younger students) and female graduate students (when compared to females of the same age in the general population).  It is impossible to predict with any certainty the number of suicides that the University of Minnesota will experience in a given year. Data from the 2004 Student Health Survey conducted by Boynton Health Service indicate that 0.9 percent of students reported attempting suicide within the past 12 months.

The major cause of suicide is mental illness, very commonly depression. According to the 2004 Boynton Health Service Student Health Survey, 7.8 percent of students were diagnosed with depression in the past year, and 16.2 percent were diagnosed with depression sometime within their lifetime.  Others who are not suffering from clinical depression are often overwhelmed by painful emotions and see death as the only way to end the pain. Discussions after suicide suggest that few suicide victims were trying to end their life but most were trying to end the pain of living.

How to tell if a person is at risk for suicide

How can you tell if suicide is a possibility? While suicide is very hard to predict, any talk of suicide should be taken seriously.  Below there are warning signs and risk factors for suicide.  Many students will carry a risk factor without becoming suicidal, but any student with a combination of the warning signs and risk factors below deserves your attention, in either a respectful expression of concern or a referral to one of the resources listed to the right of this fact sheet.

Warning signs

• Abrupt changes in personality
• Giving away possessions
• Previous suicide attempt
• Abuse of drugs or alcohol
• Change in eating pattern or significant weight change
• Change in sleeping pattern or insomnia/oversleeping
• Depression
• Extreme or extended boredom
• Accident prone (carelessness)
• Unusual sadness, discouragement, and loneliness
• Talk of wanting to die
• Neglect of academic work or personal appearance
• Family disruptions—divorce, trauma, losing a loved one
• Withdrawal from people/activities
• Confusion—inability to concentrate
• Chronic pain, anxiety, or panic
• Perfectionism

Risk factors

• School pressure
• Breakup of a relationship
• Unexpected pregnancy
• Stressful family life (e.g., parents are depressed or substance abusers, family history of suicide)
• Stress due to new situations – (e.g., relocating to a new community)
• Failing in school or failing to pass an important test
• Serious illness or injury to oneself
• Seriously injuring another person or causing another person's death (e.g., automobile accident)
• Major loss - a loved one, a home, a divorce in the family, a trauma in a relationship

How to help a person you believe to be suicidal

The key intervention is a caring, frank conversation in which you ask the student directly, "Do you feel like killing yourself?" Never promise total confidentiality; explain to the student that you may need to discuss the situation with another individual in order to provide the best possible service. Be willing to discuss thoughts and feelings in as much detail as possible to determine the immediacy of the danger and the best referral source. Feel free to exhibit genuine care and concern. Finally, refer the student to an appropriate agency and be willing to accompany the student to that initial contact session. Any of the services listed on this fact sheet are open to consulting about any potentially suicidal person and are ready to support your efforts to save a life.

What to do following a suicide

Suicide deeply affects the fabric of the University community. Friends, roommates, classmates, staff, and faculty suffer in the aftermath. The University has a team of volunteers, the Community Response Team, who help find resources in the recovery process for individuals and departments.