Depression drives student to think about suicide
By Jon HuffGoing away to school can be a challenge for students. For many, it will be their first time living on their own, away from pampering parents. There are classes to study, quite often take up jobs to pay for college and the pressures of meeting new people and trying to fit in.
The college life can be overwhelming for many. The result could be depression and suicide.
Suicide is the No. 2 cause of death of college students behind accidents, according to the U.S. Naval Academy’s Midshipman Development Center.
According to the center’s Web site, nationwide 1,100 college students commit suicide each year, members of the 18-24 age group think of suicide more often than any other age groups, and 11.4 percent of college students seriously ponder committing suicide.
Cleveland State, like so many other schools, has had its share of tragedies.
“The past few years there have been a suicide or two,” said Dr. Richard Yates, director of the Department of Counseling and Testing.
There were three suicides in the past 10, according to Yates.
Many factors can lead to students to commit suicide, Yates said, most dealing with depression. Events such as a break-up with a boyfriend or a girlfriend can set a student off on a path of despair and then to depression.
Some students can go through a series of negative events, feeling that everything is going against them.
Others can just be unhappy all the time, needing medications to fight the depression, Yates said.
Sometimes people commit suicide in revenge. “[The victims] feel they will get back at somebody by killing themselves,” Yates said.
The worst state for those suffering from depression and thinking about suicide is the feeling everything is hopeless.
“When somebody feels things are hopeless, they are at the bottom,” said Yates. But there is still hope for them.
The key for such people to get through depression is to seek help. That is where the Department of Counseling and Testing comes in. “We will do everything we can even if it means finding a place for [the affected] to go,” Yates said.
During his 27 years with the department, he has seen many cases and many students get the help they needed. The department has an in-house staff to provide free counseling sessions for CSU students.
It also works closely with a psychiatrist, who comes in once a week to meet with students who may need medications and psychological help. The department has ties with St. Vincent Charity hospital, where some students may be referred.
Yates said it is often a friend or professor who brings a student in distress. And it is important for students and professors to watch out for others in emotional distress.
Being withdrawn, solemn or depressed, drinking in excess or expressing a great deal of unhappiness, kidding around about killing themselves are some of the red flags, said Yates. If these are seen, it is vital to get the person to help. “If people are not sure about [the affected person’s] intentions, it’s best to call people to get them help,” Yates said. For more information, call 216-687-2277.