Like many other university campuses, Western provides students access to support services such as the Counseling Center, referrals to off-campus psychological resources and stress or anxiety-relief classes and workshops, Dr. Nancy Corbin, director of Western’s Counseling Center, said.
Yet, according to a 2006 report by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, suicide is the third leading cause of death for people aged 18 to 24.

According to the American Association of Suicidology, a common misconception is that talking about suicide provokes suicide; in reality, lack of education and understanding causes people to refrain from seeking help. Concerns about depression or suicide can be met with the idea that the victim should simply get over it, Corbin said.

“The sorrow, the anger; people are often embarrassed or ashamed about their reaction to a loved one’s suicide,” said Dr. Max Lewis, a senior instructor in Western’s psychology department. “They don’t want to admit to themselves, let alone anyone else, how badly they’re hurt or how angry they are.”

In the past, programs designed to educate students about the realities of suicide romanticized and dramatized the subject, Lewis said.

While the prevention education seemed to have little effect on students who had no predisposition for it, for those who did, it actually made suicide a more salient option, he said.

It takes discussing how suicide is not a character flaw, but an illness like any other, and learning more about the psychology that will hopefully relieve the stigma, Corbin said.

Western President Bruce Shepard helped motivate that discussion when he sent a message to the Western community describing his own personal experience with suicide and his desire to break the stigma, Corbin said.

“I think something like what Bruce did was amazing because when people have that courage to speak of their own experience, that is so helpful to make this a real issue,” she said.

Causes

The potential for suicide is rooted in psychological illness, Corbin said. According to the American Association of Suicidology, suicide can be incited by anything from fixed factors such as a family history of suicide to the results of pain or insomnia.

Depression does not have one isolated cause but an interaction of several, Lewis said.

One may turn to suicide after a traumatic event or while under the influence of mind-altering substances, but typically, suicidal thoughts come from a gradual change rooted in deeper psychological problems, Lewis said.

“Occasionally, something happens that causes an immediate issue, they get drunk or take drugs that really alter their thinking,” Corbin said. “They might do something that they might not otherwise have done [but] the majority of people have given this some thought.”

Hopelessness:

Feelings of hopelessness or self-worthlessness are significant indicators that someone is suicidal, Lewis said. According to “Relationship between hopelessness and ultimate suicide,” a study that traced the effects of hopelessness on patients suffering from depression, the feeling leaves victims believing suicide is the only way to escape their problems.
“Usually when people choose to [commit suicide], they’re not thinking clearly,” Corbin said.

Genetic history:

Family members who share a genetic history of mental illness have been found to be more prone to committing suicide, Lewis said. Especially if one lives in an unhealthy home environment filled with anger or violence, when one member commits suicide, it can prompt others to do the same, Lewis said.

Isolation:

The American Association of Suicidology listed isolation as a strong influence. Those who feel isolated emotionally often do not think they have anyone to talk to about their problems, Corbin said.

“Sometimes people can, especially if they have been depressed for a very long time, learn to look OK,” she said. “Maybe they don’t feel like they can be truthful about how bad they feel.”

Treatment:

The majority of students Corbin speaks to in Western’s Counseling Center experience depression or anxiety.  Some come in with a non-life threatening crisis but some are dealing with severe psychological problems.

When depressed or suicidal people come through, counselors work to glean not only the severity and nature of the person’s pain, specifically their hopelessness, but also whether he or she can be treated medically.

Depression:

Western alumna Jen Dubrow battled depression for much of her adult life. Unconvinced that medication or counseling would fully treat the underlying causes of her depression, Dubrow consulted Jungian psychology, which suggests depression is not a disorder but a symptom of something that is wrong much deeper in one’s life, she said. 

While Dubrow strongly emphasized the importance of counseling and having someone to work with, after several negative experiences, she turned to meditation as a way to heal, she said.

“Meditation teaches you how to recognize each distinct feeling and stand apart from them and just watch them and, after a while, transform them [into something positive],” she said.

Similarly, Western’s Counseling Center promotes the practice of mindfulness in order to step outside of personal problems, letting go of the stress and refocusing, Corbin said.

Mindfulness encourages a person to silence unproductive noise caused by worry or stress, she said.

Often, getting victims of attempted suicide into treatment can be difficult, Lewis said. Though it is crucial, if they refuse, it cannot be forced unless the patient poses a serious threat to his or her health or the safety of others, Corbin said.

The same goes for the friends and family of the victim. For every suicide, there are at least a dozen people thinking it’s their fault, but those left behind do not always seek psychological treatment for their problems, Lewis said.

Dubrow, who went through three counselors in all, stressed the importance of finding one who is right for you.

“When you’re looking for help, like if you’re drowning, you’ll reach out and grasp on to anything,” she said.

Just as one would consider the environment when choosing a university or a workplace, interviewing counselors to see if you have a rapport with them is crucial, she said.  

Warning signs

Should you witness, hear or see someone you know exhibiting any one or more of the following, seek help by contacting a mental health professional, calling Western's Wellness Outreach Center at: 650-4321.

Hopelessness
Rage
Recklessness
Feeling trapped
Increased substance use
Withdrawing one's self
Anxiety
Mood swings
No sense of purpose

If you cannot reach the contacts listed above during a crisis:

Take the individual to an emergency room or mental health walk-in clinic.

Do not leave the person alone until professional help is with him/her.

Remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt.
 

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