KRISTIN Cooper was your average 20-year-old college student. She went to Baker College in Kansas, was in a sorority and had a great family and friends who loved and supported her. She was beautiful, just as she was intelligent and caring. Kristin enjoyed skiing and was on her high school's swim team. At college, she quickly found a boyfriend with whom she fell in love. Things were going smoothly.
This all changed when a friend she trusted raped her. The incident plunged Kristin into a state of deep despair. Her grades slipped, she pulled away from friends and struggled to get out of bed. Other than a couple of sorority sisters, no one took notice of Kristin's behavior and her boyfriend broke up with her not too long after.
She came home for winter break and her parents suspected nothing. Kristin put on a happy face at home and went out often with friends. This was until her parents came home to blasting music. They found Kristin on her bedroom floor - dead, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Kristin's story did not have to end this way. Although no one is at fault besides her rapist, Kristin's support system at school truly failed her. Few friends tried to intervene and those who did were unsuccessful. More could have been done - more should have been done.
Unfortunately, this tale is not uncommon. Although Kristin's story is extreme, as it involves rape, the basic structure of the narrative is common with all suicides. Kristin was so despondent that she wanted to end her life. No one ensured she got the help she needed, and now she is dead. Kristin's is a story of 1,100 college students who commit suicide every year.
According to a recent study by Dr. James Turner, executive director of Student Health at the University, suicide is the leading cause of death among U.S. college students. 6.18 students out of 100,000 committed suicide during the 2009-2010 school year. This outranks alcohol-related deaths, which accounted for 4.86 deaths per 100,000 students, and non-alcohol related vehicle accidents, which caused 3.51 deaths per 100,000 students.
On the other hand, college students commit suicide less frequently than their non-student peers. Colleges often provide excellent mental health services, as evidenced by the services provided at the University.
Although there is always room for improvement, the University does a great job of providing resources for students struggling with emotional and mental issues. Counseling and Psychological Services at Student Health provides free sessions for students and can provide referrals to those who would do better with help elsewhere. Every year, between 9 and 10 percent of University students take advantage of services at CAPS.
This is not to say, though, that no University students are struggling or contemplating suicide quietly. In a 2008 online study, the National Research Consortium of Counseling Centers in Higher Education found that 18 percent of college students have seriously considered suicide. There are many silent sufferers out there - including on Grounds.
Take a college like Cornell University, which reportedly has excellent mental health services for its students yet suffered six student suicides during a six-month period spanning 2009 and 2010. If colleges provide mental health services for their students but suicides still occur, then what is there to be done?
Students need to do a bit of soul searching - on behalf of their peers and themselves. We all have a responsibility to those around us. If you know a friend who is struggling or is going through a rough period, talk to him and make sure he is okay. Encourage your friend to get help. If he is unwilling to get help, make him. Tell someone, such as an official at CAPS or your friend's parents. Do not let your friends suffer in silence; do not let them become another suicide statistic.
More importantly, we must look inward as well. Nothing and no one is worth your death. There is nothing that can happen to you that validates suicide. Death will not solve your problems. You will not be released from your pain; you will be dead. It is okay to get help, and getting help does not mean you are weak. Rather, it means you are strong enough to know you need a helping hand.
This is not to say that those who commit suicide are acting irrationally. In fact, they are acting very rationally in their own minds. Those who commit suicide take one problem and cannot look beyond it. But if you ever feel suicidal, realize this: Life is so much bigger than one problem, defeat or disappointment. Life is vast, and its possibilities and joys are endless. You must cultivate perspective and realize there is so much more to life, so much more to you than whatever current struggle.
Kristin's suicide was preventable. She did not have to die and could have been helped. Everyone who commits suicide could have been helped. Although it is important for the University and for all colleges to continue to improve mental health services and extend outreach, there is only so much they can do. It is up to students to take care of one another and themselves. Get help if you need it - do not suffer in silence. Keep your friends close.
Jamie Dailey's column appears biweekly on Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at j.dailey@cavalierdaily.com.
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