1. Best Practices
Suicide
on College
Campuses
Meghan Campbell
Constance Carmona
Gissel Rivera
Rachel Seavey
Courtney Struble

2. Statistics
• More than 1,000 students on campus
commit suicide each year
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death
among college students
• 8 – 15% of students attempt suicide in the
United States
• 5% of students report making a suicide
attempt annually
• Only 23% of students who died by suicide
were seen by their college counseling
centers
• Gender Paradox

3. Suicide Cases in 2012
April 2012
• Boston University Graduate Student
• Suffolk University Senior
• Harvard University Senior
May 2012
• Boston College Sophomore
June 2012
• Amherst College Freshman
December 2012
• American International College
Freshman

4. Landmark Legislation
• Garrett Lee Smith Act
Notable Prevention Efforts
• JED
• Campus Suicide Prevention Program
Recent Recommendations
• Recommendations for reporting on suicide
• Return of “in loco parentis”
Issues with Past Practices
• Self Reporting
• Social Stigma
• Gap Between Perception and Reality

5. Risk Factors & Warning Signs
• Psychiatric Disorders
• Past History of Attempted Suicide
• Genetic Predisposition
• Neurotransmitters
• Impulsivity
• Suicide Crisis
• Precipitating Event
• Intense Affective State
• Changes in Behavior
Observable Signs of Serious Depression:
• Unrelenting Low Mood
• Pessimism
• Hopelessness
• Desperation
• Anxiety
• Inner Tension
• Withdrawal
• Sleep Problems
• Increased Alcohol and/or Drug Use
• Recent Impulsiveness
• Threatening suicide
• Expressing a Strong Will to Die
• Making a Plan
• Unexpected Rage or Anger

6. • Increased risk of depression, PTSD, &
drop out rates
• Negative PR
• Suicide Ideation
• Suicide Contagion

7. Suicide Ideation
Ideation is a broad term ranging from
thoughts of suicide to unsuccessful
attempts.
1 in 12 students has made a suicide plan,
and approximately 24,000 suicide attempts
occur annually among U.S. college students
Signs of ideation : Arnold Lazarus’s BASIC
ID model
• Behaviors
• Affect
• Sensation
• Imagery
• Cognitions
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Drugs or Biology

8. Suicide Contagion
“Suicidal behavior by additional people
that is influenced by a previous attempt
or completion.”

9. On average 1 suicide affects 6 lives
*However, this number drastically increases
when a suicide occurs on a campus.

10. Suicide Contagion Example:
St. Clair High School in Missouri
As of November 15, 2012 there had
been 3 student suicides in 7 weeks.

11. Best Practices for a Campus:
Preventing Contagion
• Implement a Death Response
Team (DRT)
• Notify “suicide victims”
(those individuals directly
connected to the deceased)
• Address student
body/community as a whole,
dispel myths & rumors.
• Discuss suicide as a byproduct
of mental illness and
depression.

12. The 2007 Award winning campaign created by the University
of California, Irvine and A Better World Advertising.

15. Providing Resources
• Accessibility
• Addresses the whole student
population (i.e., LGBT and
Veterans)
• Screenings and services to
detect student pre-suicide
attempt
• Innovative ways to reach the
high risk students
Example:
ETSU PEAKS
BU Secrets

17. Boston University: Revealing
Secrets Can Help Students

18. Importance of Mental Health Services
• Poor mental health can have negative effects on a student’s ability to
perform well academically (ACHA, 2011)
• College students are the largest uninsured group (ACHA, 2011)
• Most insurances provide little to no benefits for mental health and
substance abuse (ACHA, 2011)
• Reduce the number of students suffering from depression or other mental
crises
• Connect the institution to “troubled” students
• Relay services and initiatives steered towards helping students at risk

19. Conclusion

20. References
• ACHA. (2011). Accredited student health services - aaahc and the joint
commission. American College Health Association, Retrieved from
www.acha.org/Topics/docs/Accredited_Student_Health_Services.pdf
• Levine, H. (2008). Suicide and its impact on campus. New Directions for Student Services, (121), 63-76.
• Nicoletti, J., Spencer-Thomas, S., Bollinger, C. (2010). Violence Goes to College: The Authoritative Guide
to Prevention and Intervention 2nd Edition. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C Thomas Publisher, LTD.
• Warren, L.(2012)Three Students at St Clair High School in Missouri Have killed Themselves in Seven
Weeks. USA Prepares: November 15, 2012. Retrieved from:
http://www.usaprepares.com/health/three-students-at-st-clair-high-school-in-missouri-have-
killed- themselves-in-seven-weeks
• Hirsh, J.K. & Barton A.L. (2011). Positive social support, Negative social exchanges, and suicidal behavior in
college students. Journal of American College Health 59(5), 393 – 398.
• Cukrowicz, K.C., Schlegel, E.F., Smith, P.N., Jacobs, M.P., Van Orden, K.A., Paukert, A.L., Pettit, J.W. & Joiner,
T.E. (2011). Suicide ideation among college students evidencing subclinical depression. Journal of
American College Health 59(7), 575-581.