Suicide Prevention Month means a lot of things to a lot of people.
Statistics around mental illness and suicide have been rising steadily for several years. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) reported in 2019 that suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.
The study also showed that the suicide rate in the vast majority of age groups has increased. However, the Quinnipiac University community is most concerned with the 15-to-24 age group identified in the AFSP study.
In 2010, according to the study, 10.54 of every 100,000 individuals between the ages of 15-to-24 committed suicide. That figure was most recently reported at 13.95 in 2019, peaking in 2017 and 2018 at 14.49.
When addressing suicide, it’s important to recognize the effect that mental illness can have on college students.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness reported that in 2019, 20.6% of American adults experienced some form of mental illness, 5.2% being considered serious. And while mental health numbers are higher in adults, 16.7% of Americans aged 6-17 struggled with mental illness.
The most prevalent mental illness is anxiety disorder, accounting for 19.1% of mental illness cases. The next highest figure was major depressive episode, at 7.8%.
Despite the increases in mental illness and suicide over the last decade, Americans have made significant strides in treating and recognizing mental illness. But statistics have taken a recent dip.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that in 2008, 50.9% of Americans aged 18-25 with some form of mental illness received treatment for it. That figure rose to 59.2% in 2017, but took a drop-off to 53.0% in 2018.
The statistics show the need for awareness events like the Suicide Awareness Virtual 5K promoted on campus on Tuesday, Sept. 7. Even though the country has made progress from where it was in 2008, there is still significant work to do regarding the effects of mental illness and the stigma perceived around receiving treatment.
The event to promote the 5K on Sept. 7 was a tie-dye shirt station, hosted by Quinnipiac University student counsellors. Participants were encouraged to make their own tie-dye shirts, surrounded with at least a dozen colors, in an effort to raise awareness about the event and the initiative.
Quinnipiac counselor Sheila van den Broeck said that the lighthearted nature of the event is helpful in order to garner a more calming environment for which students and counselors to ask difficult questions about suicide.
“We hope that we bring awareness to asking more challenging questions to our friends, our family and other students,” van den Broeck said. “To ask each other how we’re doing, to bring awareness to the fact that people do commit suicide and our idea is to prevent it by asking harder questions.”
The tie-dye station was placed on the Bobcat Way lawn, a high-traffic area on the Quinnipiac campus. Virtually every student has to walk by that lawn, whether it be to get to class, the library, the dining hall, or the student center.
“Counseling is important for every individual in our society” van den Broeck said. “It is an avenue to be able to decrease stress, get outside feedback and to find a safe space to talk about those hard topics.”
The latest Inside Higher Ed Student Voice survey reported that 65% of polled college students revealed that they had been or currently are struggling with poor or fair mental health, and only 15% of them had reached out for university-offered counseling.
“The stigma is real. We are trying to let everyone know that counseling is for everyone and that an average issue is a counseling issue” van den Broeck said.
During the month of October, counselors will offer multiple events including the Out of Darkness Walk that will bring attention to suicide prevention. Events and dates have not been cemented yet.