Suicide rates among college students are relatively low despite the high percentage of students who report having suicidal thoughts.

According to a study done in Boston by the American Psychological Association, more than 50 percent of the 26,000 students, from 70 colleges and universities surveyed, reported having suicidal thoughts at some point of their life. The study also found that of the students surveyed, 15 percent reported they had seriously considered attempting suicide with only 5 percent reporting that they tried to attempt suicide at least one time in their life.

A 2007 survey of 272 college counseling center directors, run out of the University of Pittsburgh, reported a total of 105 suicides in the past year, said Micky M. Sharma, director of the Counseling and Student Development Center at NIU.

The suicide rate amongst the typical college age group is also relatively low compared to the high amount of attempts in the age group.

“About 11 out of 100,000 people between ages 15 to 24 kill themselves every year,” said Debra Pender, assistant professor of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education at NIU.

There are numerous events that can contribute to depression and possible suicidal thoughts.

“One of the main issues is that college is a major transition in life,” Pender said. “You’re going from the age where a lot of your decisions are guided or even controlled by parents into an area where you see there are a lot more possibilies than you had ever known were there.”

Many students aren’t prepared to handle all of the new possibilities when entering college, Pender said.

Students aren’t necessarily prone to depression and suicidal thoughts as a new college student.

“Just as depression can impact any student, it is possible for a student to have thoughts about harming him or herself at any time of the semester,” Sharma said. There are multiple things which may provoke the feelings at any point in one’s life such as relationship difficulties, problems with academics, uncertainty about the future, dealing with family of origin issues and reactions to a traumatic event, Sharma said.

A majority of these suicidal thoughts occur more than just once.

“It’s important for people to realize there is a continuum of the thought that occurs,” Pender said. “It’s when the thought starts to become a coping method where suicide is the source of action for someone.”

Suicidal thoughts and attempts should always be taken seriously.

“Most suicide attempts are not to get attention, they are expressions of extreme distress,” Pender said.

There are multiple places on and off campus where one can seek help.

Students are given free access to the Student Counseling and Development Center in the Campus Life Building.

“We operate on a walk-in system,” Sharma said. “This means students do not need to ‘schedule’ their first visit, rather they can just walk-in and meet with a clinician.”

Another source of help, especially for those who wish to remain anonymous, is the Batavia Suicide Prevention Center, 528 S. Batavia Ave.

“We have people here who answer phones from 8 a.m. to midnight seven days a week,” said Holly Cherry, coordinator of training at the center. “There are two 800 hotline numbers that are open 24/7.”

All of the calls are anonymous and are not recorded.

“We only keep statistics of demographics and the general overall type of call it is,” Cherry said, adding that the types of calls are for depression, relationship problems, lonliness, third-party suicide, etc.

The volunteers, which range from late teens to retirees, must go through at least 80 hours of extensive training before taking any calls.

“The volunteers are trained to find alternate options,” Cherry said.

The Prevention Center also offers walk-ins for counseling and screenings.