美國大學生自殺rate統計

自殺rate, 是指十萬個人裏有幾個人自殺。zs rate = # zs /100,000 （see the suicide rate table below from all 50 states in the year of 2005)

最近看到一篇報道， 在2010年，一所很有名的 Collge of William and Mary 大學，有三個學生自殺 （學生總人數八千多）。學生自殺，可能有情感關係，經濟問題，family issues, public humiliation, 或學業問題而引起。 前幾年聽到 MIT 有一學生自殺的。 上個月聽到Brandeis 大學有一female學生自殺 (發生在情人節前一晚上）。聽Cornell U 一個畢業生講 那裏有一座 “suicide bridge", 發生過好多起學生自殺事件，聽起來很可怕。 進了好學校，等於進了“高壓鍋”，學業重壓力大。如何培養孩子的社交能力和“抗壓”能力，這也需有目的的關注。

Parents, relatives, teachers, and resident assistants should pay close attention to student’s emotional changes and talk to them often. In all US universities, there are about 1100 student suicide per year, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students.

We as Chinese parents and first generation of immigrants always push our son’s or daughter’s academic performances to extreme and put grades as our top priority and as our bragging rights if our kids get into top universities. In addition, we Chinese parents ignore our kids’ interest in art, music, or teaching, and select just a few majors with highly paid professional future such as law, medicine, finance/business (especially merge and acquisition). 

To make sure your kids have a good emotional support, there are a few suggestions from experts: spot severe depression early, do not have over-load in classes, seek professional help early. Many colleges have psychological consoling; have a group of kid friends who can provide emotional support for each other. Give permission to have girl friend or boy friend in high school to learn and gain dating experience, but prohibits promiscus sexual relationship in high school. If Chinese kids did not have dating experience in high school, they might become emotionally wrecked and disastrous when they meet and break up with girls/boys in college (similar to early vaccination in grade school, middle school and high school ages).

If you want to learn more about suicide rate, visit the web site:
http://www.suicide.org/suicide-statistics.html

U.S. Suicide Statistics (2005)
Actual Suicides

1.3% of all deaths are from suicide.

On average, one suicide occurs every 16 minutes.

Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death for all Americans.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24 year olds.
(1st = accidents, 2nd = homicide)

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 25-34 year olds.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students.

More males die from suicide than females.
(4 male deaths by suicide for each female death by suicide.)

More people die from suicide than from homicide.
(Suicide ranks as the 11th leading cause of death; Homicide ranks 13th.)

There were over 800,000 suicide attempts in 2005

Rank	State	Number	Rate
1	Alaska	155	23.6
2	Montana	175	18.9
2	Nevada	440	18.9
4	New Mexico	356	18.7
5	Wyoming	88	17.4
6	Colorado	797	17.3
7	Idaho	236	16.9
8	West Virginia	285	15.7
9	Utah	377	15.6
10	Oregon	555	15.5
11	Arizona	880	15.3
12	Vermont	93	15.0
13	South Dakota	112	14.5
14	Oklahoma	506	14.4
15	Florida	2,389	13.7
16	Kansas	370	13.5
16	Kentucky	560	13.5
18	Tennessee	792	13.4
18	Washington	830	13.4
20	Arkansas	361	13.1
21	Maine	171	13.0
22	Missouri	715	12.4
23	Mississippi	350	12.1
24	North Carolina	1,027	12.0
24	Wisconsin	662	12.0
24	Alabama	541	12.0
27	Louisiana	537	11.9
28	Iowa	343	11.6
29	Ohio	1,319	11.5
29	South Carolina	482	11.5
29	North Dakota	73	11.5
32	Pennsylvania	1,410	11.4
33	Indiana	704	11.3
34	Delaware	93	11.2
35	Virginia	828	11.1
--	Total	32,439	11.1
36	Georgia	973	10.9
36	Michigan	1,098	10.9
38	Minnesota	524	10.3
39	New Hampshire	133	10.2
39	Texas	2,300	10.2
41	Nebraska	166	9.5
42	California	3,368	9.4
43	Hawaii	116	9.2
44	Maryland	500	9.0
45	Connecticut	294	8.4
46	Illinois	1,028	8.1
47	Rhode Island	85	7.9
48	New Jersey	597	6.9
49	Massachusetts	425	6.6
50	New York	1,187	6.2
51	District of Columbia	33	6.0

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Some common risk factors include:

* Prior history of suicidal behavior
* Family history of suicide or suicide attempts
* Suicidal behavior of a friend or colleague
* Mental health problems like depression or substance abuse
* Family history of depression or substance abuse
* Easy access to lethal methods (like firearms)
* Interpersonal isolation
* Impulsive, aggressive or antisocial behaviors
* History of abuse or family violence

Some common warning signs include:

* Talks about suicide, death or having no reason to live
* Is preoccupied with death and dying
* Has trouble eating or sleeping
* Experiences drastic changes in behavior
* Withdraws from friends or social activities
* Loses interest in hobbies, work, school, etc
* Prepares for death by making out a will and final arrangements
* Gives away prized possessions
* Takes unnecessary risks
* Relationship difficulties including a recent loss or threat of significant loss
* Loses interest in their personal appearance
* Increases their use of alcohol or drugs
* Expresses a sense of hopelessness
* Is faced with a situation of humiliation or failure
* Performance difficulties
* Legal or financial trouble
* Is unwilling to “connect” with potential helpers Why do people, especially the young, take their own lives?" The most common factor is mental illness. Mental illness is often heightened by a common occurrence on college campuses – drinking. Alcohol and mental illness is a bad, often lethal, combination. Many people with depression drink, or use drugs, to relieve their symptoms. They reduce inhibitions and increase risk-taking, possibly increasing self-destructiveness. Nihilism may also be a factor in suicide. To put it simply, today’s youth have more difficulty in identifying something that provides purpose and meaning to their lives. The institutions that used to provide meaning, such as church or family, have less influence on us today. Colleges are not equipped to be mental health centers, but they are doing what they can. Most schools will refer students to long-term care if their mental health issues are extensive. Some issues can be cared for at the counseling center of the school. At some schools, a suicide attempt is an honor code violation and a student can be forced to leave school if they refuse treatment. Some schools have successful suicide prevention programs where they are required to undergo mandatory assessment and services. Unfortunately, suicide prevention programs only exist in a few communities.



Read more: Suicide and Suicidal Behavior Among College Students - StateUniversity.com Blog http://www.stateuniversity.com/blog/permalink/Suicide-and-Suicidal-Behaviors-Among-College-Students.html#ixzz16bdglsBv

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Kids who aim for top colleges know full well that this month's stress over which envelope—-thick or thin—is only the beginning. And in recent weeks, concerns about the pressure cooker environment on some campuses have escalated. At Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., there have been six confirmed suicides this academic year, including two on successive days last month. Last week, Cornell installed chain-link fencing along many of the bridges that cross the gorges on campus, serving both as deterrent and a physical reminder.

According to a 2009 article in Professional Psychology, 6 percent of participating undergraduates and 4 percent of graduate students in four-year colleges said they had “seriously considered attempting suicide” in the past year—and nearly half of each group did not tell anyone.

Even for the vast majority of students who never experience such feelings, high stress and general mental well being can be a concern. Moving away from home for the first time and starting a rigorous academic program can contribute to high stress, and stress tends to be higher at campuses with “a student body that is in general more the type-A characteristic type of students,” says Keith Anderson, chairman of best practices at the American College Health Association.

“Students who go into the sciences and engineering programs, in general,” he adds, “they’re probably going to be a little higher across the board stress level-wise students.”

While it is impossible to quantify the stress an individual feels, there’s a lot of data on stressful environments. To determine the most stressful American colleges, we put our lens to the top 50 universities in the U.S. News and World Report rankings, using methodology informed by Anderson. Five criteria were taken into account:

• The cost: Financial pressure is a huge stress-inducer. Tuition plus room and board, weighted at 35 percent. With 2009-2010 data from the National Center on Education Statistics.

• Competitiveness: How academically rigorous is the school? Weighted at 35 percent, with 2010 data from US News & World Report.

• Acceptance rate: More competitive schools generally produce a more competitive student body. Weighted at 10 percent, with 2010 data from US News & World Report.

• Engineering: Is the school known for its particularly rigorous graduate engineering program? Weighted at 10 percent, with 2010 data from US News & World Report.

• Crime on campus: Adapted from The Daily Beast’s analysis of college crime, weighted at 10 percent and ranked relative to this particular group of colleges. With data from the US Department of Education.