Suicide on College Campuses: The Recent Epidemic

TW: This article will discuss sensitive information discussing the topic of suicide and mental health. Our thoughts and prayers go out to families who have been affected by suicide.

In September, two UNC Chapel Hill students were reported dead due to suicide. A week prior, an attempted suicide was also recorded. In 2020 it was recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that more than 10% of adults had considered suicide within the past month, and among ages 18-24, it was reported that about 25% had considered it.

It is not every day that we hear someone took their lives away. The news is shocking and disturbing. Still, suicide is not talked about enough. It is much more common than most know, as 25% of students have considered suicide—have considered taking their own lives because they do not know where to turn.

The world has gone through hell and back since 2020. The pandemic has affected the way people live, interact, and believe. People were put in economic distress, rates of mental health struggles heightened, and social interactions plummeted.

Students ages 18-24 were thrown back into the real world after experiencing a tumultuous year of difficulty and struggle. Mental health concerns were not adequately addressed as facilities were not available, and the idea of loneliness felt stifling during isolation periods.

“The events at Chapel Hill are indicative of a broader mental health crisis sweeping across the world,” reports Alex Findijs for WSWS. “The pandemic and the murderous policies of the ruling class have caused what Clare Landis, a responder for the student support group Peer2Peer, called a ‘second pandemic … with mental health and suicide.’”

The United States has recently been experiencing a new deadly epidemic, different from the Coronavirus: a suicide epidemic.

College students around the world have been struggling with mental health issues ranging from anxiety and depression to eating disorders, drug usage, and suicidal thoughts. Many students have not been able to live any longer in this state and chose to take their lives instead.

It is crucially important that right now, we as a university focus on mental health and what we can do to prevent suicide at all costs. We must look out for one another and ourselves to take action when it is needed. Check in on your friends and family.

At Elon University, mental health services are available. If you are concerned about yourself or someone else, please do not be afraid to reach out. Talk to your friends, your parents, or if you cannot trust anyone then reach out to the Counseling Services on campus. They are here and willing to help.

The Edge believes that Elon University must take this issue very seriously. We as students do not and cannot watch a person from our university take their own life because they do not believe they belong here. We as students advise for Elon to take mental health and suicide prevention matters into their own hands and truly consider the epidemic which is surrounding us and the United States.

Students' mental health matters more than their grades, more than athletics, more than partying. Students must prioritize themselves and the school must show immense effort to advise students they are here with them, and stand with them in a time of distress.

Our hearts go out to those who have been affected by suicide. It is important to remember as students that we are all human. We are all people and we all have so much going on in our lives and inside our heads that nobody else will know. A little kindness can go a long way and lending an extra hand can be a way to save someone’s life. You always have someone who cares about you even when it feels like there is nothing left. You are worth living.