Ohio State was granted more than $1.4 million in federal funding to help protect the estimated 1 percent of OSU students who attempt to take their lives each year.
The university will receive $75,000 annually for three years to support the OSU Campus Suicide Prevention Program. Another $400,000 award will be given annually for three years to foster suicide prevention and detection among youth.
The two awards, presented to the university by the Department of Health and Human Services, are the result of the passage of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act by the U.S. Congress, designed to implement early suicide intervention among youth and college students.
The funding will provide a "stronger coordination of efforts to prevent suicide and enhance services for Ohio State students with mental health problems and substance abuse (problems) that put them at risk for suicide," according to a press release distributed by OSU.
Dr. Louise Douce, director of Counseling and Consultation Services in the Office of Student Affairs and one of more than 30 partners involved in the program, said suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. She said the grants will create a heightened awareness to target those at risk.
"What we're hoping to do within the Columbus campus and regional campuses is increase awareness and increase communication with gatekeepers, such as faculty, RAs, professors...we want to increase their awareness of the warning signs," she said.
Douce said these "gatekeepers" will be trained to notice warning signs in those who could potentially be suicidal. She said having more than 30 professional partners team up to facilitate the operation is key.
"We want to come up with a collaborative plan to assist suicide prevention," she said.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, nearly 10 percent of suicides affect people ages 15-24. The AFSP reported that although the majority of deaths from suicides are carried out by men, a woman attempts suicide every 78 seconds.
Douce said 7.5 percent of OSU students said they had seriously considered suicide last year.
Kim Pachell, program coordinator at the Student Advocacy Center, said in January of 2005, four OSU students were reported to have died from suicide. Although she said this is unusually high, Pachell noted that student suicides happen more frequently in the winter and around finals time.
"There obviously are patterns that occur," she said. "For instance, winter quarter has a much higher instance of suicide. We tend to see a spike as well at the end of the quarter."
Pachell said seven students were reported to have died from suicide during the summer of 2002 through the spring of 2005. She said although no student suicides have been reported to her office since the beginning of the summer, often a suicidal death is recorded as "unknown" with the university to maintain the privacy of the family.
Pachell said the last reported student suicide was in January.
While the rate of suicide at OSU is not extremely high, Douce said, "Any deaths are of concern to us, so losing an average of three students a year is significant."
According to the AFSP, between 20 percent and 50 percent of people who kill themselves attempt suicide at least once prior to the incident.
Pachell said attempted suicide is a much more common occurrence on campus.
"Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem," Douce said. "People take their lives because of the pain they're in. Seeking help works."
Counseling services are available to students, staff and faculty by calling Ohio State University's Counseling and Consultation Services at 614-292-5766. Students with suicidal thoughts should request an urgent appointment when calling.
Students who would like more information about the risks and warning signs of suicide may go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at www.AFSP.org.
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