Each year, TCU becomes home to thousands of students from across the world. These students navigate a path through their college years, experiencing the highs and lows associated with the transition from late adolescence to early adulthood. Inevitably, many of these students will experience temporary distress over roommate disputes, financial pressures, painful break-ups, and academic failures. These hurdles may be challenging when they occur, but generally they are short-lived and cause little disruption over the college trajectory. But for some, the college years are associated with more serious problems, which can be destructive not only for the students experiencing them but also the students around them.
TCU has experienced a rash of suicides within the last few years. Nationally, suicide is ranked as the second leading cause of death among college students with over 1,100 students who die by suicide each year. The sad reality is that of these, less than 10% sought counseling. Mental illness is on the rise on American college campuses, and the TCU campus is not immune.
Mental health experts attribute the rise to two distinct groups of students who may be at a higher risk for suicide, including students with pre-existing mental health conditions prior to their entrance into college and students who develop mental health issues during college years. Due to the prevalence of depression and suicide on campus, the TCU Counseling and Mental Health Center is reaching out to faculty to ask for your help in identifying and referring students who may be depressed and at an increased risk for suicide. If left unaddressed, these problems can have serious, lasting consequences—one in ten college students say they have seriously considered suicide within the last year.
Considering these staggering statistics, the TCU Counseling Center implemented a new suicide prevention and awareness training called QPR (Question-Persuade-Refer). This suicide prevention training program is a nationally-recognized, empirically based program designed to educate faculty and students about suicide and the resources available for those needing professional services. The QPR workshop lasts only 90 minutes and is intended to teach faculty, staff, and students how to recognize the warning signs of suicide, persuade them to seek help, and refer them to campus resources. In fall of 2013, campus QPR trainers provided 23 trainings, reaching over 650 faculty, staff, and student leaders. Please contact me if you are interested in scheduling QPR for your classroom.
Although, students may only spend three hours a week in your class, your position gives you a unique opportunity to become aware of problems facing students that may put them at risk for suicide. Often, faculty see the first glimpse of a student in trouble and may be the first person a student turns to for assistance. Certain students directly verbalize to their instructors that they are sad, depressed, or need help. On the other hand, some students choose to disclose through emails, papers, or other writing assignments that they may be experiencing distress.
Students report having experienced a myriad of academic difficulties exacerbated by their mental health conditions. TCU’s National College Health Assessment, conducted by the American College Health Association, lists stress, anxiety, and depression as top impediments to academic success. In a recent survey, half of all college students reported being so stressed that they could not complete their academic work at some point during the last semester.
A considerable amount of students indicated that mental health problems affected their individual academic performance to the point of receiving an incomplete, dropping a class, or receiving a lower grade in a class, on an exam, or on a project. It is understandable how these students are more likely to dropout of school than their peers. In fact, researchers estimate 5% of all college students never finished school due to a mental illness. Many authors suggest that attrition is more often attributed to emotional rather than academic factors. The academic consequences of poor mental health not only affect a struggling student, but also impact the campus in terms of lost tuition, fees, and alumni donations. Overall, it is in the best interest of the student, campus, and community to respond to a student in distress.
It is necessary to intervene if you feel there is reason to be concerned about a student. The Counseling Center has a counselor on call during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Walk-in crisis appointments are available, or students can call 817-257-7863 to schedule an appointment. In the event of an after-hours emergency, a counselor can be reached by calling the TCU Police at 817-257-7777. There is also a free and confidential national hotline where students can talk to a trained crisis counselor 24/7. The number to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
This article was written by Cortney Gumbleton, Counseling and Mental Health Center, for the Spring 2014 Issue of Insights Magazine.