Suicide second-leading cause of death among college students

Suicide, the second-leading cause of death among college-age students, has become the topic of much discussion over the past few months. According to The Big Ten Student Suicide Study, there are 7.5 suicides for every 100,000 students on a college campus.

George Washington University has experienced an unusual number of student deaths. Since December 2003, six students have died, three of whom were suicides, according to Tracy Schario, director of media relations at GWU.

David Onestak, director of the JMU counseling and student development center, said, "Suicide is extremely damaging to the campus community."

GWU completed a study in September assessing suicide response.

University Counseling Center hours already have increased, and other recommendations are under review, according to Schario.

Onestak said students threaten suicide for any number of reasons, including wanting to end severe pain, trying to make a statement or to hold on to someone or something, like in a relationship. He added that most students who have gone through with suicide were not being seen in counseling.

"The best way to reduce suicide on campus is to be in counseling," he said. "Counseling is remarkably effective in dealing with these kinds of emotions."

JMU has counseling services available to all students. Counseling services are located in Varner House.

Students can make appointments for themselves or set up a referral for someone they know. Students meet with a counselor during their initial intake appointment and continue to meet with them on a regular basis, a change from past years.

Despite the numbers, Onestak said that students who are in college are less likely to commit suicide than those in their age group who are not. This is primarily because the majority of college students are the products of supportive families and have necessary resources and services readily available to them.