Rank | State | Number | Rate |
1 | Alaska | 155 | 23.6 |
2 | Montana | 175 | 18.9 |
2 | Nevada | 440 | 18.9 |
4 | New Mexico | 356 | 18.7 |
5 | Wyoming | 88 | 17.4 |
6 | Colorado | 797 | 17.3 |
7 | Idaho | 236 | 16.9 |
8 | West Virginia | 285 | 15.7 |
9 | Utah | 377 | 15.6 |
10 | Oregon | 555 | 15.5 |
11 | Arizona | 880 | 15.3 |
12 | Vermont | 93 | 15.0 |
13 | South Dakota | 112 | 14.5 |
14 | Oklahoma | 506 | 14.4 |
15 | Florida | 2,389 | 13.7 |
16 | Kansas | 370 | 13.5 |
16 | Kentucky | 560 | 13.5 |
18 | Tennessee | 792 | 13.4 |
18 | Washington | 830 | 13.4 |
20 | Arkansas | 361 | 13.1 |
21 | Maine | 171 | 13.0 |
22 | Missouri | 715 | 12.4 |
23 | Mississippi | 350 | 12.1 |
24 | North Carolina | 1,027 | 12.0 |
24 | Wisconsin | 662 | 12.0 |
24 | Alabama | 541 | 12.0 |
27 | Louisiana | 537 | 11.9 |
28 | Iowa | 343 | 11.6 |
29 | Ohio | 1,319 | 11.5 |
29 | South Carolina | 482 | 11.5 |
29 | North Dakota | 73 | 11.5 |
32 | Pennsylvania | 1,410 | 11.4 |
33 | Indiana | 704 | 11.3 |
34 | Delaware | 93 | 11.2 |
35 | Virginia | 828 | 11.1 |
-- | Total | 32,439 | 11.1 |
36 | Georgia | 973 | 10.9 |
36 | Michigan | 1,098 | 10.9 |
38 | Minnesota | 524 | 10.3 |
39 | New Hampshire | 133 | 10.2 |
39 | Texas | 2,300 | 10.2 |
41 | Nebraska | 166 | 9.5 |
42 | California | 3,368 | 9.4 |
43 | Hawaii | 116 | 9.2 |
44 | Maryland | 500 | 9.0 |
45 | Connecticut | 294 | 8.4 |
46 | Illinois | 1,028 | 8.1 |
47 | Rhode Island | 85 | 7.9 |
48 | New Jersey | 597 | 6.9 |
49 | Massachusetts | 425 | 6.6 |
50 | New York | 1,187 | 6.2 |
51 | District of Columbia | 33 | 6.0 |
* Prior history of suicidal behavior
* Family history of suicide or suicide attempts
* Suicidal behavior of a friend or colleague
* Mental health problems like depression or substance abuse
* Family history of depression or substance abuse
* Easy access to lethal methods (like firearms)
* Interpersonal isolation
* Impulsive, aggressive or antisocial behaviors
* History of abuse or family violence
Some common warning signs include:
* Talks about suicide, death or having no reason to live
* Is preoccupied with death and dying
* Has trouble eating or sleeping
* Experiences drastic changes in behavior
* Withdraws from friends or social activities
* Loses interest in hobbies, work, school, etc
* Prepares for death by making out a will and final arrangements
* Gives away prized possessions
* Takes unnecessary risks
* Relationship difficulties including a recent loss or threat of significant loss
* Loses interest in their personal appearance
* Increases their use of alcohol or drugs
* Expresses a sense of hopelessness
* Is faced with a situation of humiliation or failure
* Performance difficulties
* Legal or financial trouble
* Is unwilling to “connect” with potential helpers Why do people, especially the young, take their own lives?" The most common factor is mental illness. Mental illness is often heightened by a common occurrence on college campuses – drinking. Alcohol and mental illness is a bad, often lethal, combination. Many people with depression drink, or use drugs, to relieve their symptoms. They reduce inhibitions and increase risk-taking, possibly increasing self-destructiveness. Nihilism may also be a factor in suicide. To put it simply, today’s youth have more difficulty in identifying something that provides purpose and meaning to their lives. The institutions that used to provide meaning, such as church or family, have less influence on us today. Colleges are not equipped to be mental health centers, but they are doing what they can. Most schools will refer students to long-term care if their mental health issues are extensive. Some issues can be cared for at the counseling center of the school. At some schools, a suicide attempt is an honor code violation and a student can be forced to leave school if they refuse treatment. Some schools have successful suicide prevention programs where they are required to undergo mandatory assessment and services. Unfortunately, suicide prevention programs only exist in a few communities.
Read more: Suicide and Suicidal Behavior Among College Students - StateUniversity.com Blog http://www.stateuniversity.com/blog/permalink/Suicide-and-Suicidal-Behaviors-Among-College-Students.html#ixzz16bdglsBv
According to a 2009 article in Professional Psychology, 6 percent of participating undergraduates and 4 percent of graduate students in four-year colleges said they had “seriously considered attempting suicide” in the past year—and nearly half of each group did not tell anyone.
Even for the vast majority of students who never experience such feelings, high stress and general mental well being can be a concern. Moving away from home for the first time and starting a rigorous academic program can contribute to high stress, and stress tends to be higher at campuses with “a student body that is in general more the type-A characteristic type of students,” says Keith Anderson, chairman of best practices at the American College Health Association.
“Students who go into the sciences and engineering programs, in general,” he adds, “they’re probably going to be a little higher across the board stress level-wise students.”
While it is impossible to quantify the stress an individual feels, there’s a lot of data on stressful environments. To determine the most stressful American colleges, we put our lens to the top 50 universities in the U.S. News and World Report rankings, using methodology informed by Anderson. Five criteria were taken into account:
• The cost: Financial pressure is a huge stress-inducer. Tuition plus room and board, weighted at 35 percent. With 2009-2010 data from the National Center on Education Statistics.
• Competitiveness: How academically rigorous is the school? Weighted at 35 percent, with 2010 data from US News & World Report.
• Acceptance rate: More competitive schools generally produce a more competitive student body. Weighted at 10 percent, with 2010 data from US News & World Report.
• Engineering: Is the school known for its particularly rigorous graduate engineering program? Weighted at 10 percent, with 2010 data from US News & World Report.
• Crime on campus: Adapted from The Daily Beast’s analysis of college crime, weighted at 10 percent and ranked relative to this particular group of colleges. With data from the US Department of Education.