This year at Mississippi State University, there has been an increase in student deaths, including suicides.
Thomas Bourgeois, the dean of students, said typically there will be about five to six student deaths a year, with about three of those being suicides. Already in 2010, there have been seven student deaths, four of which were suicides.
“This is the most we have had since 2001,” Bourgeois said.
At this time of the year, when exams are approaching and stress levels go up, this is an especially prevalent issue, he said.
Bourgeois said at MSU, there is a behavioral intervention team that serves students who may be suffering from depression or stress. The team consists of students, members of the dean’s office, the MSU Police Department and the Department of Housing and Residence Life.
“With our resources, we can provide support for students in a varying mode of needs,” he said.
Bourgeois said the members of housing and residence life are a crucial part of this team; RAs are the ones who see students on a daily basis, so they are the ones who notice if there is a drastic change in a student’s behavior.
Teachers are also important because they see students on regular intervals and will notice a drastic drop in a student’s grades or if a student stops attending class, Bourgeois said.
He said with the advent of technology like Facebook and Twitter, there has been an exponential increase in concern raised over comments or posts by individuals who may express suicidal thoughts. As students access this technology to share their feelings, hundreds or even thousands of others can see these posts.
Bourgeois said this technology can be a great asset in preventing suicide, but it is also a burden on the university to respond to all the information it is taking in.
He also said with the prevalence of social media today, he is worried about copycats or students who might see sensationalized stories of suicide and then act in a similar way without realizing the aftermath that will result and the friends and family who will be hurt.
“Prevention takes broad support from family and friends,” he said. “Do not be afraid to confront individuals who may be suicidal.”
Jenny Merkle, freshman animal and dairy science major, said the issue of college student deaths, especially suicides, is scary to think about.
“I guess in college, stress causing suicide has always been a problem,” she said.
Merkle said she thinks support groups could be helpful, but they might be intimidating to many people.
Leigh Jensen, director of Student Counseling Services, said she has not seen an increase in student patients who are suicidal, but said she and her colleagues do treat many students who are depressed.
She said there are many warning signs friends and family can look for to see if someone may be suicidal, but Jensen said no single symptom can determine whether a person is suicidal or not.
The most obvious sign is the individual may directly say they are thinking about suicide and will often have no problem being vocal about it, she said.
Other symptoms may include a dramatic change in mood, increased alcohol or drug use, withdrawal from family and friends and disruption in sleeping patterns.
“Encouraging the person to talk about it and to get help is the best help you can give,” Jensen said.
She said there is a program on campus called Active Minds to engage college students in seeking mental help and staying mentally healthy.
“Its goal is to educate people about suicide, to show people what to look for and to let people know help is available,” Jensen said.
She said it is also important to take people who threaten suicide seriously, even if it seems they may be joking, and if there is an imminent threat, not to leave them alone. She also said walking them to counseling could be helpful.
“Knowing that someone cares enough to help is important,” she said.