UVa study: Suicide leading cause of death in U.S. college students

Suicide claims more lives on college campuses than alcohol-related incidents, according to a study commissioned by James C. Turner, executive director of health services for the University of Virginia.

Suicide was the leading cause of death among students ages 18-24 at 157 four-year colleges across the country in the 2009-2010 academic year, according to the study, with a rate of 6.18 per 100,000 students.

Alcohol-related incidents were the second leading cause of death in students with a rate of 4.86 per 100,000, followed by non-alcohol related vehicle accidents with a rate of 3.51.

“I think Turner and his colleagues did a good job of separating out what used to be thought of as probably a leading cause of death among students,” said Russ Federman, director of counseling and psychological services for the university. “His findings bring to our attention the importance of universities’ efforts toward suicide prevention.”

Federman credited increased education about the risk of alcohol-related injuries for the difference.

“I think over the last 10 to 15 years, universities across the country have dedicated a lot of resources into alcohol education,” he said.

Federman pointed to his university as an example.

“We have a high rate of students who drink,” he said. “Over the last 10 years, there’s been a very steady decline in the number of students seeking treatment at the emergency room as a result of alcohol related injury. I think people see it as a bigger problem.”

Federman said the study highlights the importance of efforts to reduce the risk of suicide in students.

“I hope it brings to our attention that mental health issues are as important as most other factors or issues that are needing resources on university campuses,” he said.

Mortality rates among college students are significantly lower than their peers, the study shows.

“It provides a really strong argument that college campuses are doing a good job in educating students about alcohol and detecting and intervening in cases of mental health problems,” said Turner. “Police and security staff are doing a good job of creating a safety net for students.”

The study found the suicide rate among college students was about half that of all Americans in the same age group.

Turner said he was inspired to complete the study while serving as president of the American College Health Association, which used a national surveillance network to track cases in the flu pandemic of 2009.

“I got interested in trying to get a better handle on mortality data from students,” he said.

Turner recently secured grant funding to create a central database for tracking the incidences of diseases and health problems among colleges.

“We’ve never had a good handle on epidemiology of college students,” he said. “There are many conditions of public health importance that we’re involved in with students…this can provide a better understanding of what’s going on in the general population.”