Essay Sample on College Student Suicide

Suicide is one of the most critical and mind-boggling national problems. It has been proven to be one of the leading causes of deaths among college students. Suicide can be defined as the act of killing oneself on purpose. However, this is just a definition and the actual suicide holds a different meaning to people such as desperate, revenge, anger, shame and many more. There are several causes of suicide. Some of the causes of suicide among college students are the feeling of pressure to succeed, stress, depression, family risk factors, and substance abuse.

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Community at Risk

Suicide being an irrational desire to die affects everyone as long as they are old enough to think for themselves. It is a common phenomenon among people. Despite the fact that cases of suicide are minimal in comparison with the total population of people in the world, the number of people who think about the practice is high. It is believed that for every attempted suicide, there are two more people who thought of committing suicide too. With more than a half million people making a suicidal attempt each year, this translates into a major problem that the society normally ignores or sweeps under the carpet. This study majorly focusses on suicide among college students.

Health Statistics

Suicide is clearly a major issue in the United States. Bongar, Maslowski, Hausman, Spangler, & Vargo (2017) reported that 36,035 people succumbed to suicide and 666, 0000 were recorded to have encountered an unsuccessful suicide in 2008 in the United States. The rate at which college students commit suicide is alarming but it cannot reach the level of suicidal rates among non-students. In their research, Bongar et al. surveyed 26, 451 students, among them, 15, 010 were undergraduates and 11, 441 were graduate students. Among the undergraduates, 55% of them reported having encountered suicidal thoughts at some point, 18% of them seriously considered suicide and 8% actually attempted suicide. Half of the graduates that were interviewed reported to have contemplated suicide at some point, 15% reported that they had seriously considered suicide and 6% made an attempt to commit suicide (2017). Looking at these statistics, one can easily be convinced that suicide is a serious menace in learning institutions in the USA. However, these statistics cannot match the general suicidal rates in the USA. The suicide rate in the USA in 2017 was 14 per 100, 000 people and it was recorded to be the highest among middle-aged white men (Bongar et al., 2017). In general, there are 129 suicides per day in the USA. This figure is startling and it is higher than the rate of suicide among college students.

Influencing Social Factors

There are different factors that cause students to commit suicide. One of these factors is pressure to succeed. The competition in universities and colleges is very stiff and this generates pressure to acquire good grades, jobs, and the desired major. Education is result oriented, and most students fall into the pressure of performing well to be accepted in certain degree programs. The pressure to perform could force some students to commit suicide when they fail to perform like others. According to Gauthier, Witte, & Correia (2016), stress is intrinsically appalling. Every human being is predisposed to stress and what matters most is how one reacts to it. There are some people who react to stress positively by finding solutions to them while others resort to other non-recommended mechanisms of dealing with it. Too much stress can exacerbate suicidal feelings, mainly among the youths. Depression is also another major factor that facilitates suicidal feelings in students. It is unquestionably the primary reason as to why people commit suicide ("College Student Depression and Suicide: Frequently Asked Questions," 2001). It is a severe dejection that is accompanied by feelings of despondency that is naturally felt over a period of time. Most people who suffer from severe depression tend to think that suicide is a permanent solution to their problems. Substance abuse is also another critical factor that contributes to suicides amongst college students. Teenagers who are under the influence of alcohol and drugs are highly at risk of developing suicidal behaviors and thoughts. They may become impulsive and over-sentimental and may end up committing suicide (Stephenson, Belesis, & Balliet, 2005). Family risk factors such as inherited biological factors also contribute to suicide and suicidal behaviors. Students who also have a family history that involves depression or substance abuse are highly likely to be connected with suicide.

Recommendations

There are different strategies that can be adopted in controlling college suicide. The most effective way of preventing suicide is the use of a comprehensive approach that entails identifying and assisting students who may be predisposed to suicide, being ready to respond to suicidal cases, promotion of social networks and connectedness and improving access to mental health services. The cases of suicide can also be minimized by limiting access to common means of committing suicide. For instance, reduction of distribution of pills available in packs of analgesics such as acetaminophen and aspirin. Students are advised to use antidepressants whenever they are depressed.

In summary, suicide is a very common practice among college students. Despite its prevalence in colleges, suicide is more common in American societies. The vice is caused by different factors such as depression, the pressure to succeed, stress and family risk factors. There are different strategies that can be used to minimize the practice. The rates of suicide can be minimized by controlling means by which people terminate their lives. Suicide can also be controlled by the promotion of social network and connectedness.

References

Bongar, B., Maslowski, K., Hausman, C., Spangler, D., & Vargo, T. (2017). The Problem of Suicide in the United States Special Operations Forces. Oxford Clinical Psychology. doi:10.1093/med:psych/9780199873616.003.0016

College Student Depression and Suicide: Frequently Asked Questions. (2001). PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi:10.1037/e522262011-001

Gauthier, J. M., Witte, T. K., & Correia, C. J. (2016). Suicide Ideation, Alcohol Consumption, Motives, and Related Problems: Exploring the Association in College Students. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 47(2), 142-154. doi:10.1111/sltb.12269

Stephenson, J. H., Belesis, M. P., & Balliet, W. E. (2005). Variability in College Student Suicide. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 19(4), 5-33. doi:10.1300/j035v19n04_02