Suicide help on the rise

Three weeks ago, a University of Memphis journalism student took her own life, and research shows that many students want to do the same.

Tiffany Harris, senior journalism major, is in the process of healing her life after turbulent times led her to attempt suicide twice.

"I didn't wanna see anything else, I just felt like I couldn't. My future, people who love me, everything, my grades - all that did not matter at the moment," Harris said.

Harris is not alone because more than fifty percent of college students have had suicidal thoughts at some point during their lifetime. Twenty six thousand students from twenty colleges and universities completed a survey on their suicidal experiences. Although more than half of the students reported having suicidal thoughts, only 5 percent reported actually attempting to commit suicide at least once in the past.

The survey was done in 2006, by the National Research Consortium of Counseling Centers in Higher Education. The Web-based survey was completed by 26,000 students from 70 colleges, and universities. And they took a closer look at the suicidal thoughts and behaviors among college students. The American Psychological Association, analyzed data from the survey, and reported their findings a few weeks ago.

The researchers estimate that an average college/university with 18,000 undergraduate students will have about 1,080 undergraduates who seriously think about ending their own life at least one time within a year. And out of those students who think about committing suicide, two-thirds will have those thoughts several times within one year.

People may wonder what it is about college life that has so many students thinking about ending it all.

Carl Gilleylen, director of the Center for Counseling, Learning and Testing at The U of M, said there are many reasons why students might reach their breaking point.

"There are a lot of stressors on students including trying to work while they are in college, but usually it is something that has to do with a history of depression," Gilleylen said.

He said other factors like the death of friends or family members could trigger suicidal thoughts and depression. The death of Tiffany Harris' grandmother in 1998 prompted her to attempt suicide for the first time. She said losing the woman who practically raised her, left her unable to deal with life.

"She was a big part of my life, and I just felt like there would be nobody else that would understand me like her and I just felt like my world was centered around her and it's like I just couldn't go on, and there was nothing else," Harris said.

In 2003, Harris made her second attempt after being injured on a military drill course. She said her drill sergeant talked negatively about her performance and left her feeling bad. She decided to attempt suicide by swallowing a mix of pills.

"My friend stopped me in the nick of time when I was about to start the second dosage of the pills," Harris said. "They let us have vitamins and Ibuprofen, so I was gonna take as many as I could until I was about to pass out." She said.

The second attempt came at a time when Harris was away from friends and family. She did not have close friends in the army and felt alone. She said being in a new city, and being around new people is probably why many college students think of committing suicide.

"You're kind of a loner and that kinda sinks in your mind like, man I'm all by myself and if I died today or tomorrow no one would notice," Harris said.

Some people think that suicide is an issue that only affects a certain type of person. But the warning signs are not always visible. The U of M student who took her life left behind family and friends who did not see it coming.

Harris kept her depression hidden from family and friends for a long time. She said people thought she had a great life. She has a loving husband, child and she is a good student. But she says she was just going through the motions.

"Depression is not just someone wearing black and moping all day," She said. "It can be someone that's a perfectly good student, but have problems at home, or, as for me, dealing with her past," She said.

One reason some many people choose to mask their pain is because of the stigma that surrounds being depressed or suicidal. Harris said she initially battled with the stigma for a while, but eventually made the decision to talk to someone about what she was experiencing.

She has been receiving free counseling through her church for the past few months, and she said people should not feel ashamed to see a psychiatrist.

"People go to a doctor when they are sick, people go to the pharmacist to get medicine, so why can't you go to a psychiatrist when there is something wrong with your life," Harris said.

There is even free counseling for students on campus, but Gilleylen said the fifty percent of U of M students who are suicidal, do not mention their thoughts to anyone.

Gilleylen said many people struggle with the stigma, but they are not the people who should be considered crazy. He said sometimes they are just dealing with the same life difficulties that most people have, but they are just having problems dealing with them.

"I guess the thing to do is for us to is for us to go out and talk about it for people to understand that it is a normal thing people go through when they are feeling this way,' Gilleylen said.

Active Minds is a new group on campus working toward putting an end to the stigmas associated with depression and other mental health issues that students may face.

However, there are still some people out there who say depressed and suicidal people are choosing to feel that way, and that they can simply choose to be happy if they want to.

Although, there are times when things can get better on their own, sometimes it is not possible to just choose to be happy.