When Clint Guttman peered into the glass display case across from the Smith Memorial Student Union food court earlier this week, the microbiology post-bac student was surprised by what he read.
Inside the display case is a series of posters detailing suicide on college campuses, including the fact that suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students.
“I had no idea that was the case,” Guttman said. “It’s surprising, because you don’t hear about it much.”
Carla Riedlinger is spearheading an effort to change that, working with the Oregon University Suicide Prevention Project (OUSPP) to help spread the word about suicide among college students and the ways to prevent it.
“Suicide is an issue on college campuses,” said Riedlinger, a clinical social worker at Portland State’s Center for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC). “Most people who are suicidal, most, will talk about it in some way, give you some signs, and most people can be helped.”
While suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students–general accidents being the first–the overall rate of suicide is lower than among non-college students in the same age group.
OUSPP project director Mark Evans, from the University of Oregon Counseling and Testing Center, said there are 7.5 suicides for every 100,000 college students, half the average for non-college students in the same 15-24 age group.
The focus of the project is to make students, parents, faculty and staff aware of the risk factors, warning signs and methods for helping those experiencing suicidal thoughts or demonstrating behaviors aligned with depression or hopelessness.
Statewide effortThe project is funded through a $75,000 grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, given to Portland State and Oregon’s seven other public universities. Portland State received $12,500 of the grant funding, which was matched by the university and will expire this year.
Evans said the project’s efforts are threefold: Educate the campus on how to recognize warning signs and intervene, train campus professionals on how to advance their skills working with people who may be suicidal and set up task forces to examine suicide prevention.
“We want to reduce suicide by increasing the network of support and awareness,” Evans said.
Since the project launched three years ago, Riedlinger has worked alongside fellow SHAC clinical social worker Tim Hagge, among others, to help educate members of the Portland State community on suicide issues.
Strategies to educate include giving lectures in classes, holding workshops with faculty and staff, sending mass e-mails, handing out brochures and cards with emergency numbers, training resident assistants and student groups, and speaking with parents at orientation.
Riedlinger said they are currently conducting a spring marketing campaign using a poster series like the one Guttman saw on the first floor of the Smith Center, in five locations around campus to raise awareness. The four others are in the Montgomery Building, Broadway Building, Ondine and SHAC.
“My first impression is that it increased awareness–that if I ran across a buddy that is having suicidal thoughts or acting weird, I would know what to do,” Guttman said. “I just want to keep that in mind when I’m interacting with people.”
Warning signsRiedlinger said it is important that students are aware of warning signs and risk factors because those who are having suicidal thoughts typically approach friends much sooner than faculty, staff or medical professionals at SHAC.
Some common warning signs include appearing sad, irritable or hopeless, talking or writing about suicide, demonstrating dramatic changes in behavior, sudden recovery from a long depression, performing risky behaviors combined with increased use of alcohol or drugs and withdrawal from friends and activities.
The most common risk factors for college students are loneliness, and relationship, money, academic and parent problems. Others include excessive use of drugs and alcohol, prior suicide attempts, psychiatric illness and access to firearms.
“The use of guns is the most common method, and it transcends age groups and genders,” said Mark Kaplan, Portland State professor of community health. “Over 60 percent of all suicides among the male population are gun related.”
Kaplan, recently named to a national nine-member panel that recommends improvements to Veteran Affairs programs in suicide prevention, education and research, believes that efforts to prevent suicides on college campuses should be gender specific, focusing more on males.
Evans said he believes that Kaplan makes a good point because young males are four to six times more likely to commit suicide than young females.
Riedlinger said other advancements for the project might include posting signage in designated University Studies areas over the summer and working with University Studies mentors next year.
For more information about suicide prevention at Portland State, visit www.shac.pdx.edu/caps/suicideprevention.php.
Portland State emergency numbersSHAC 503-725-2800
Residence Life503-725-2450
Campus Public Safety 503-725-4404
Portland emergency numbers Multnomah County Crisis Line503-988-4888
Cascadia Urgent Walk-In Clinic (Hours: 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.)2415 S.E. 43rd St.
National Suicide Prevention Line 1-800-273-TALK