Suicide rates increase on college campuses

Kei Berry, 21, is a student at Northlake Community College. She also works part-time as a bartender at an Irving sushi bar. While at work, she flirts and laughs with customers, but she is hiding a dark secret.
 

"I wake up in the morning and say, ‘I hate myself.' I hate the person I see in the mirror," Berry said as tears trickled down her face.
 

Berry, who lives in Lewisville, said her 21-year-old neighbor recently committed suicide. He was getting ready to go off to Iraq. His mother came home and found he had hanged himself. Berry questioned why she wasn't dead instead because she feels as though he had a promising life and she did not.
 

That incident led her to have her own thoughts of suicide. Berry said she drinks and uses drugs to push the thoughts out of her mind.
 

"I don't drink to get drunk. I drink to make myself feel better," she said.
 

According to a 2007 study in Medical News Today, youth suicide rates have dramatically increased. An estimated 18 million students have mental health issues on college campuses. Research also shows a 50 percent increase in depression, causing more than twice the amount of students to take psychiatric medication.
 

"In college, there can be a disconnect if the student has not found a good support system, reached out to their support system at home, or experiences challenges with school work, relationships, and adjustments to campus life," said Missy Wall, director of the Teen Crisis Line in Dallas.
 

Berry is still trying to fight through her depression. She said her childhood memories consist of her watching her father destroy himself with drugs and helping her mother get away from him.
 

Many college students believe suicide rates have increased not just because of unstable family life, but also due to the pressure from academics and being socially accepted.
SMU junior Yehshen McShan said gossip Web sites such as www.thedirty.com and www.dirtydtown.com greatly contribute to the stress many college students have.
 

Students are able to post pictures of each other and blog about the rumors on campus of specific students.
 

The long-term effects of what they say about others because when something is posted on the Internet, it never goes away.

College campuses can help prevent suicide by educating students about the signs and symptoms of depression and how to help a friend in need, according to Wall. Campuses can hold health fairs, especially during the month of September, which is suicide awareness month.

Common signs of depression include: an increase or decrease in appetite, increased irritability, loss of interest in daily activities and hobbies and concentration problems.
If a person is suffering from depression and begins to talk about ending his life, he should seek help immediately. He can call CONTACT Crisis Line at 972-233-2233 for assistance or call 911.

"Everyone, whether they choose to admit it or not, wants to be socially accepted," said Paul Quinn sophomore Patrick Hillard.

SMU senior Alex Odiari said students have access to help on campus and should take advantage of it if they are having thoughts of self-harm or are feeling depressed. Odiari also feels that students should be more sensitive to each other's feelings.