The number two cause of death among young people is suicide, according to the American Psychological Association.
The University of Missouri-St. Louis Health Wellness and Counseling Services have started a new program called Ask, Listen, Refer to help identify students exhibiting harmful tendencies and prevent suicide.
“Ask, Listen, Refer is a statewide program developed through Missouri Foundation for Health to help educate campus communities to the suicide warning signs,” James Linsin, Counseling Psychologist and Coordinator of Outreach Health, Wellness, and Counseling, said.
“The majority of people who commit suicide haven’t been matched up with counseling,” Linsin said. According to Linsin, two of the major suicidal signs among college and university students are academic failure and financial constraints towards education.
“With the economic climate and health care debate insurance companies often do not cover talking therapies,” Dr. Angela Reiresen, and adolescent and childhood psychiatrist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, said. “Our clinic tries, if necessary, to combine talking therapies with drug therapies,” Reiresen, said. “We understand at our clinic that these therapies are expensive, but we also work with parents and patients about payments.”With a co-pay the average cost of a psychiatrist visit is $75. With psychotherapy though, according to Dr. Reiresen, can be much more expensive because insurance companies often do not cover such talking therapies.
The UM-St. Louis Health and Wellness Center offers through the Ask, Listen, Refer, program and other programs free of charge to UM-St. Louis students. “The problem is, e-mails that are sent out are often deleted,” Linsin said. “We’re trying a lot of different ways to get the word out. I recently put on a presentation to Student Government Association and we’re going to have a performance by the Campus Interactive Theatre Group about campus suicide.”
Linsin also explained that Ask, Listen, Refer, is attempting to prevent suicide, violence and other issues on college campus, especially the stigma associated with suicide and depression. “This program is attempting to remove the stigmas associated with depression and suicide,” Linsin said. James Linsin received his doctoral degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee- Knoxville. “Suicide and depression is an epidemic among young people. Many who feel hopeless think that it is the only answer,” Linsin said. “This program attempts to curb stigmas of depression.”
Some of the major signs of depression and suicidal thoughts or tendencies, according to Linsin and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, are giving away prized possessions, actions of self harm, and depression lasting more than two weeks.
According to Alan Byrd, UM- St. Louis Director of Admissions, there are no statistics on dropout rates relating to mental health issues.
