Talking about suicides and mental disorders is awkward because of the perception of students with mental illnesses. But awkwardness is no excuse for silence, and students don’t have to face suicidal thoughts or depression alone.
MSU Police reported five attempted suicides in 2010 and another three in the spring of 2011. Creating an environment where students know they, as individuals, are supported, will help to break the awkwardness and lower that number.
The transition to adulthood is a difficult one for students to make. Students are gone from home and don’t necessarily have the familial resources they did in the past.
The college years also are a time for young adults to ask a lot of questions about their future, such as, “What am I going to do for the rest of my life?” Not having the answer to such a difficult question can create a lot of insecurity.
Students can get depressed because of their lack of surety in their future, and they aren’t always looking for help for fear they will be judged or because they feel ashamed. Students should know depression is nothing to be ashamed of, but it is something to get help for.
That help can come in the form of a student-to-student relationship, such as with a friend or roommate. If students have a friend or roommate who seems depressed, they can let them know that they are not alone in their college experience. Not feeling alone in the struggle through university life can be a vital part of lessening student depression.
And if the depression goes beyond the help students can give one another, it’s important to know where to direct students to get more help.
Confidential mental health services are available through the Counseling Center and Olin Health Center to students who are struggling with thoughts of suicide, depression or other mental disorders. Students can take online self-assessments through the Counseling Center’s website to see if services would be useful to them. Also, students can get to up to three psychiatry visits at no charge through Olin Health Center.
Mental disorders aren’t always the result of a single incident. It can be the stress of trying to plan out life beyond college. In the case of individuals with seasonal affective disorder, it can be the changing of the seasons.
More dialogue, more people talking about the mental health issues that can be a part of college life, also can be a reminder to students that they are not the only ones facing these challenges.
That, coupled with the knowledge that support is out there, can help students get past their mental disorders.
Even one suicide — one preventable death — is too many.
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