Page 12-B-Thursday, September 10, 1981-The Michigan Daily High pressure a nemesis of students By PAMELA KRAMER Mary, a University student, told each of her housemates individually that she was considering killing herself. They all respected her wishes not to tell anyone, and each thought none of the others knew about the problem. Several weeks later, Mary hanged herself in her basement. One of the most popular myths surrounding suicide is that people who threaten will not actually go through with it. "THAT'S JUST NOT true," said Er- nest Rosemond, a peer counselor at the University's 76-GUIDE service and founder of "Students Concerned about Suicide." "Most people who commit suicide have told someone that they were thinking about it. That's a cry for. help." Suicide is the second most common cause of death for people between the aged of 15 and 24, and more college students. commit 'suicide that non- students of the same age group. Fifteen out of every 100,000 college students kill themselves, according to Rosemond. In 1980 there was one "successful" suicide and there were four attempts by University students on campus, accor- ding to the University Department of Safety. BUT THERE ARE no figures available for attempted and successful student suicides that occur off-campus. Rosemond said that two years ago he knew of seven suicides that had hap- pened within one year, but since then he has stopped keeping records. A group called PEACE (Psychistric Emergen- cy :Assistance Coordination Effort) is currently working on collecting reports of ;attempted and successful student suicides to help guide the University's trehtment of the problem. '!It would be assumed that academics are the major cause of college suicides, but some studies have found that it is lack of emotional involvement," Rosemond said. "But each case is in- Social, adademic stress takes toll on campus dividual. There are economic reasons, personal problems, and parental pressures, also," A COMMON assumption is that students attending a school with a high reputation like the University's are "together" enough to handle the stress of a competitive atmosphere - they aren't the "types" to kill themselves. But there is no "type" of person who is more likely to commit suicide than someone else, Rosemand said. "I've had undergraduates with problems, that never appeared suicidal," agreed Stuart McDougal, associate professor of English. "But then, I had an acquaintance in college who committed suicide, and I wouldn't have called him suicidal, either." STUDENTS ATTENDING stress workshops have told Rosemond the pressure of knowing their parents are paying thousands of dollars for their education can cause severe feelings of anxiety. "Students are very grade- conscious," said Paul Pandero, a teaching assistant in the Spanish depar- tment. "I do feel pressure from them. They can get very emotional, but we just sit down and discuss it." Rosemond said faculty and residence hall staff should watch for signs of suicidal potential. These include sud- den neglect of school work, unusual disregard for personal health and cleanliness, and repeated talk of death, he said. "INTERVENTION SHOULD not be seen as an invasion of privacy, but an act of caring," he said. "Talking to someone if they seem down is impor- tant." Peer counselors at 76-GUIDE receive many third-party calls from people concerned about their friends' behavior, and they encourage their resident advisors if they notice changes in a students' behavior. "We (residence hall advisors and directors) have a suicide and depression training seminar at the beginning of each year," said William Tedford, Administrative assistant at East Quad. "We're provided with a list of counseling services, and the staff comes up with a consensus of which ones are best for various conditions." MOST ATTEMPTED suicides are reported to resident directors or ad- ministrative assistants, Tedford said, and the building director makes con- stant follow-ups. "When it actually happens the first time, it can really have some effect (on the RA)," he said.. There can also be severe effects on roommates and friends. "Three years ago there was an attempt that had drastic effects on the roommate, who ended up needing more counseling than the student (who had attempted the suicide)," Tedford said. To help deal with this problem, Rosemond said he would like to begin a "pick-up-the-pieces" workshop for friends, family, and acquaintances of students who have attempted suicide. "THERE ARE feelings of shock, sadness, sometimes a sense of respon- sibility," Rosemond said. "A lot of people don't realize they have the right to be angry . .. and (when there is a successful suicide) they have to be able to deal with things like phone calls and mail that keeps coming for the student." But understanding preventive action is the top priority, Rosemond added. There are several counseling services available to students through the University and the city designed to help students with both crisis situations and daily stress problems. The Counseling Services Office in the Michigan Union is one of the free cen- ters open to students. "WE'RE TRYING to get rid of the idea that you walk in the door and you're already all set for therapy," said Dr. Evie Gauthier, director of the of- fice. She said she would like to see the walk-in consultation as a time to sort out what the issues are, and what resources are available to deal with an individual's problem. "We could finish up in one session, in some cases," she said. ANOTHER MYTH the office tries to dispel is that "you don't need to be sick to see a counselor," Gauthier said. The office sees roughly 1,500 new students per year, and that figure doubles when returning clients are included. Enhancement of living conditions is a major part of the work done in Coun- seling Services. "Many people can get through life without counseling, but help with skills in relationships and decision-making can enhance (Univer- sity life)," Gauthier said. Although there is still some stigma associated by students with counseling, Gauthier said she has found most University students fairly "sophisticated," and able to recognize the benefits of a counseling service and. the ways it can be useful. Also, she and Rosemond agree, because the of- fice operates on such a large scale, students feel at ease in the atmosphere. All spokespersons contacted declared that their daily meetings with students are kept confidential. PARENTS OCCASIONALLY contact the office for consultation counseling, but "we can't even acknowledge if someone has been here," Gauthier said. The office also provides special weight-loss, religious, academic anxiety, and pregnancy-related coun- seling, and there are offices in the Union dealing with human sexuality and minority counseling (the effect of budget cuts on the latter is as yet unknown). According to Gauthier, there is a balance in students' lives between sup- port resources (friends, classes, familiarity with one's environment) and demands. Often this balance is thrown off kilter when students arrive at the University, finding a strange surroundings and knowing few or no people. THE BALANCE could be thrown off for people who have been here for years, she added, when their friends graduate and move away. "The coun- seling office is an extra support," Gauthier explained. "Or sometimes, people would like to talk to someone who is not directly involved in their life." The Counseling Center, located at 1007 E. Huron, is another resource available to students. It offers help free to students with such problems as achieving psychological independence, clarifying identity, and developing the ability to work constructively as well as have intimate relations. Relationships are, according to Rosemond and Gauthier, a major reason for students to seek coun- seling. ANOTHER IMPORTANT program is the University Hospital-Psychiatric ; Hospitals Emergency Service, located, on the fourth level of the Outpatient Building. It offers emergency and crisis., evaluation, intervention, and acute treatment by psychiatrists, social workers, clinical nurses, and mental. health workers. Although officials of this program prefer that people call before coming in, many contacts are by walk-in. Payment is on a sliding-fee scale and no person is denied service because of inability to pay. I- Leeking for a different clssd experience? Come join us at, PROJECT OUTREACH Select from over 25 field placements and become involved in a real experience. All interested stu- dents should attend the MASS Meeting on Tues- day, September 15 at 7:00 pm in Hill Auditorium. Phone: 764-9179. i#: ------------ ne tice " i in own 'Buy One Get One Free Coupon . , ... . . :; ;, ,Daily Photo The Arb Nichols Arboretum, a wooded and hilly parcel of University- Among the many popular retreats of students is owned land just east of campus. 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