2008 Woodie Awards
Suicide by the numbers; college students considered high-risk
Elizabeth A. Terry
Issue date: 10/31/06 Section: Campus News
"I never thought I'd die alone/I laughed the loudest who'd have known /I traced the cord back to the wall/ No wonder it was never plugged in at all/I took my time, I hurried up/The choice was mine, I didn't think enough/I'm too depressed, to go on/You'll be sorry when I'm gone," sang Blink 182.
Kurt Cobain, Sylvia Plath, Vincent Van Gogh, Ernest Hemmingway, and Virginia Woolf are all famous for their various works, but also for committing suicide. With UNCG's Theatre staging their production of Ntozake Shange's "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf," running from Oct. 18-22, how often does suicide occur?
Under the Student Code of Conduct it is the student's responsibility to report at any time issues of "Danger to self." Danger to self is defined as, "The individual has attempted suicide or threatened suicide and there is a reasonable probability of suicide unless adequate treatment is given; the individual has mutilated him/herself or attempted to mutilate him/herself and there is a reasonable probability of serious self-mutilation unless adequate treatment is given; the individual is at risk due to an eating disorder; the individual has expressed or acted in a manner to reflect suicidal intent."
It is estimated that there are 1,100 deaths per year among college-aged students across the country. Among accidental fatalities, suicide ranks second annually among those aged 18 to 24. It is the third leading cause of death after unintentional injuries and homicides of persons aged 15-24 years old in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 10 million such students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities in 2003-about one third of individuals in that age group living in the United States.
Suicide is predictable and preventable, and with early recognition that person can receive the help that is needed.
The Counseling & Testing Center on campus continues to offer counseling to those who have been affected by suicide and who are looking towards it as a means to an end.
Kurt Cobain, Sylvia Plath, Vincent Van Gogh, Ernest Hemmingway, and Virginia Woolf are all famous for their various works, but also for committing suicide. With UNCG's Theatre staging their production of Ntozake Shange's "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf," running from Oct. 18-22, how often does suicide occur?
Under the Student Code of Conduct it is the student's responsibility to report at any time issues of "Danger to self." Danger to self is defined as, "The individual has attempted suicide or threatened suicide and there is a reasonable probability of suicide unless adequate treatment is given; the individual has mutilated him/herself or attempted to mutilate him/herself and there is a reasonable probability of serious self-mutilation unless adequate treatment is given; the individual is at risk due to an eating disorder; the individual has expressed or acted in a manner to reflect suicidal intent."
It is estimated that there are 1,100 deaths per year among college-aged students across the country. Among accidental fatalities, suicide ranks second annually among those aged 18 to 24. It is the third leading cause of death after unintentional injuries and homicides of persons aged 15-24 years old in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 10 million such students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities in 2003-about one third of individuals in that age group living in the United States.
Suicide is predictable and preventable, and with early recognition that person can receive the help that is needed.
The Counseling & Testing Center on campus continues to offer counseling to those who have been affected by suicide and who are looking towards it as a means to an end.
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