Half of Us

Most people who are suicidal desperately want to live but are unable to find another way to cope with their thoughts or feelings.

Suicide can be prevented. Most people who are suicidal give definite warning signs that they plan to take their own lives, but those close to them are often unaware of the significance of these signals or are unsure of what to do about them. Most of them also desperately want to live but are unable to find another way to cope with their thoughts and feelings.

Almost all college students who die by suicide are suffering from an emotional disorder, most commonly depression. Other emotional problems can increase the risk for suicide too, such as anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, substance abuse or eating disorders. Identifying and treating these illnesses is especially important because someone with an untreated emotional disorder may be more likely to attempt suicide in the wake of a stressful event such as a death, relationship difficulties or a failed exam.
The most effective way to prevent suicide is to know the warning signs, take those signs seriously, and know how to respond when you experience them yourself or see them in a friend or classmate. The important thing to remember is that there is hope. People who are suicidal can be helped with the proper treatment.

Warning Signs

Should you witness, hear, or see anyone exhibiting any one or more of the following, get help IMMEDIATELY by contacting a mental health professional, calling your college's emergency number, or calling 1-800-273-8255(TALK), the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, for a referral:

• Someone threatening to hurt or kill him/herself, or talking of wanting to hurt or kill him/herself

• Someone looking for ways to kill him/herself by seeking access to firearms, available pills, or other means

• Someone talking or writing about death, dying or suicide, when these actions are out of the ordinary for the person

Should you witness, hear, or see someone you know exhibiting any one or more of the following, seek help AS SOON AS POSSIBLE by contacting a mental health professional, calling your college's emergency number, or calling 1-800-273-8255(TALK), the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, for a referral:

• Hopelessness

• Rage, uncontrolled anger, revenge-seeking

• Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking

• Feeling trapped--like there's no way out

• Increased alcohol or drug use

• Withdrawing from friends, family and society

• Anxiety, agitation, inability to sleep or sleeping all the time

• Dramatic mood changes

• Expressing no reason for living; no sense of purpose in life

If you cannot reach the contacts listed above during a crisis:

• Take the individual to an emergency room or mental health walk-in clinic

• Do not leave the person alone until professional help is with him/her

• Remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs, or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt