A friend of two University of Arizona students who committed suicide five years ago has launched a new university website to give students an anonymous outlet for their bottled frustrations.
The website, sponsored by the Jed Foundation, was launched in hopes of reducing the number of suicides today, which has tripled among 15- to 24-year-olds since 1950. The site offers students a variety of resources to effectively deal with suicidal feelings and includes direct links to university counseling centers.
Donna and Phil Satow founded the organization three years ago after their son Jed and one of his fraternity brothers hung themselves in 1998 at the University of Arizona in Tuscan.
A friend of Jed Satow’s said he might have known something was wrong if he had known more about signs of an oncoming suicide.
“I went to the counselor to ask why my friends showed no sign of being unhappy, and the counselor said there were signs — I just didn’t know. At the time he was right,” Ron Gebori said.
Gebori said he created the website to help students understand signals that a student is considering taking his or her life.
Dr. Jay Zimmerman, associate director for training at Ball State Counseling Center, said a digitized counseling service fits well into student lifestyles.
“Students are so used to using the Internet, it’s another way for them to gain really good information on this topic,” Zimmerman said. “The more students who access our website, the more information they have, the more likely they are to get help or get help for their friends.”
Ball State is among 80 universities that registered for the website, called Ulifeline.org. It offers students the anonymity of the Internet to help deal with suicidal feelings or make appointments at their university’s counseling center.
Duke Medical School created a screening program that the website uses to evaluate a student’s state of well-being. The website also provides information about drugs used for mental illness, resources for suicide prevention and “Ask Alice,” a question-and-answer session.
“It isn’t just a program that is out there on the Internet; it’s close to your school,” Donna Satow said, noting that the website provides links for local help.
Since the program has begun, more than 1.5 million people have accessed the website, most of them college-age students. Right now the organization is working on pilot programs with M.I.T., Harvard, Columbia and Yale.
Currently, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is not registered on the database. However, Bob McGrath, UW director of counseling services, said UW is looking into the website right now.
Although Ulifeline.org’s privacy is an asset, McGrath said the shame associated with seeking counseling has decreased.
“There is a lot less stigma of counseling now than there ever was. Years ago, there was a lot of reluctance, but now we find not as much reluctance,” said McGrath.
Although suicide rates have tripled since 1950, Dr. Martha Rolli, director of inpatient psychiatry at UW Hospital and Clinics, noted that between 1990 and 2000, the rate decreased.
Rolli said she has not noticed an observable trend regarding suicides in Madison, noting the rate has been fairly consistent, with minimal change in past years. In fact, the overall incidence per 1,000 people has dropped slightly, she said.
“It doesn’t mean I don’t see suicidal college students. I see them all the time,” Rolli said.
At UW, McGrath said he also has not noticed an increasing suicide rate.
“In fact, we seem to be below average for the size of this campus. You might predict a greater number of student suicides per year. The number varies, but some years there are a couple and some years there are none,” McGrath said.
Nationwide, certain times of the year trigger more attempted and completed student suicides, Rolli and McGrath said. Mid-semester and finals are especially precarious times for students, because many students are experiencing stress from classes and might not be doing as well as they thought they would be, McGrath and Roth said.
“In college students, a classic sign of suicidal thoughts is failing or not living up to their expectations of how they thought something would turn out, like courses or a relationship,” Rolli said.
Substance abuse, depression and other major life crises, such as the loss of a relationship, can also push students toward suicidal feelings.
University Health Services offers three services for students who experience such suicidal feelings. Students can obtain individual counseling, call a crisis service or use an after-hours phone line.
The crisis line enables students to book a counseling appointment immediately. UHS sets aside open slots every day for students who are at risk for a psychological or personal crisis. The after-hours phone line is for students who need help immediately during the hours UHS is closed.