Tracking suicides

Should universities track suicide data?

Video by Hannah Lee
Story by Jacob Hancock
Graphics by Alex Gorry

More than half of the nation’s 100 largest public universities do not track statistics on campus suicides – including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and East Carolina University – according to a recent study by the Associated Press.

UNC-Charlotte is one of the 46 universities in the study that does and has since 2006. Dean of Students Christine Davis said that information is shared with the school’s counseling center, where counselors can search within their private records to see whether the deceased student had been a client of the counseling center. They use the data to determine how they may improve future services.

Keeping student suicide data can come with many challenges. Sometimes parents will withdraw students without providing a reason. Sometimes suicides occur when a student is away from campus, and it might not always be easy for the university to know when a student suicide occurs.

“Often times we are not privy to that information,” Davis said. “But we make notations, we track the information to the best of our ability.”

Still, some are skeptical of how helpful tracking may be. Suicide rates among the schools that provided data in the AP study range from 0.27 to 8 deaths per 100,000 – a wide and likely inaccurate disparity.

Graphic by Alex Gorry

Suicide prevention advocates argue it is important for universities to track these statistics in order to see if the preventive measures they’re taking are effective. Taking a closer look at data might reveal trends that give schools ideas of what areas of campus they need to address.

After Clemson University started tracking suicide data in 2015, staff noticed an increased suicide rate among transfer students. They’ve since made efforts to include transfer students in campus life. Some of the programs Clemson offers include living-learning communities on campus specifically for transfers, and a Transfer Council branch of the Undergraduate Student Government that gives transfer students more of a voice on campus issues and help make transitions easier for new transfers.

UNC-CH Counseling and Psychological Services does record the number of suicides by students who use its services, but that data only includes about 15 percent of all UNC-CH students. Many students on campus aren’t even fully aware of all the mental health services the school offers.

“Most of the people I talked about CAPS with didn’t know they could just go in and talk with someone,” said Timothy Wyatt, a former UNC-CH student who’s struggled with depression. “I feel like there are other programs as well and groups of people dealing with the same things that a lot of people don’t know about that could probably help them.”

Jessalyn Klein, the suicide prevention coordinator at CAPS at UNC-C, was hired three years ago when the university created her position because they realized they needed to focus on suicide prevention. She said it’s not only important to offer services on campus, but to create a campus-wide sense of responsibility.

“While we’re all trained in managing things like depression, anxiety and assessing for suicide risk, it is not our sole responsibility at the counseling and psychological services,” Klein said. “With a public health model, what we really do for our suicide prevention program is not only make sure that we have the services here to treat students when they end up coming through the door, but that the entire campus is ready to recognize warning signs for suicide or other mental health concerns, and that they’re prepared to respond.”

UNC-C offers several gatekeeper training programs both online and in-person that teach faculty, staff and students how to recognize and respond to signs of depression and suicide risk. The training is not mandatory but is heavily encouraged for everyone on campus.

UNC-C has also held multiple suicide prevention and suicide awareness events that provide information and promote social connection across campus. The school held its first annual Out Of The Darkness campus walk in 2017, where suicide survivors and others affected by suicide or mental health concerns walked to both honor the memory of lost loved ones and also raise awareness to prevent future suicides. All funds raised during the event went to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Many universities across the country continue to invest more money in mental health services and suicide prevention as reports suggest more students today are struggling with the rigors of college life. That’s led some to question why universities would spend so much money on programs without any way of measuring its effectiveness. Some argue universities that don’t track and report student suicide statistics may be trying to protect their own reputation.

“No school wants to be known as a school with multiple suicides. It’s not good for business,” Nance Roy, chief clinical officer for the Jed Foundation told the AP. The Jed Foundation is a nonprofit that works with colleges and high schools on suicide prevention.
A UNC-CH student died by suicide in Hinton James Residence Hall in December 2017. The school issued a brief public statement.

Many of those who battle with their mental health on a regular basis feel like there’s still room for improvement in the services provided by universities. CAPS at UNC only offers 10 free sessions for students during their time in Chapel Hill.

“It’d mean a lot to me if I went to a school where they stepped up and admitted there are problems that we have, that students aren’t getting the help that they need,” UNC-CH sophomore Alexandra Smith said.

UNC-CH plans to set up a task force in the spring made up of faculty, staff and students that will analyze mental health on campus and make recommendations.

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