According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 11th leading cause of death and in the United States, with more than 720,000 people dying from it every year. 

In 2022, nearly 50,000 Americans died by suicide, and there were nearly 2 million attempts. 

According to the Arkansas Department of Health, suicide is the leading cause of violent death and in 2021, over 600 people lost their lives by their own hand. 

There is no single cause of suicide, no dot to point to and conclude, “Yeah, that’s what caused it.” 

According to AFSP, it most “often occurs when stressors and health issues converge to create an experience of hopelessness and despair.” 

Conditions such as anxiety, depression, and substance abuse can increase the risk. Previous suicide attempts, family history of suicide, childhood abuse, neglect or trauma, discrimination, generational trauma and feelings of loneliness and isolation do the same. 

Unsurprisingly, the numbers fluctuate as you move from state to state and from country to country. 

One thing that does remain consistent, however, is the primary age group it affects. 

You could visit all 50 states and you would find that in all of them, suicide is most common in ages 15-29. In fact, it is the leading cause of death. 

The people you walk past on your way to class, the ones you peep a look at in your biweekly club meetings, the ones you work with — any of them could be struggling with their mental health, and not nearly enough of us would know or notice. How would we? We spend many of those moments either looking down at our phone or locking eyes with a wall so we can avoid people – connection – altogether. 

Signs and signals of suicide include withdrawing from activities, isolating from family and friends, sleeping too much or too little and visiting or calling people to say goodbye. But many of us would not have the eyes to see them. You can’t feel responsible for something you didn’t see coming, right? 

It’s time to eliminate the perceived distance between suicide and ourselves — it’s closer than we think. Suicide is preventable, and it doesn’t have to happen, there are steps we can take where we are right now to stop it. 

Some of the steps we can take to prevent suicide are not ours as college students, like strengthening economic support by improving household financial security and stabilizing housing, which, according to the CDC, would lower rates. 

Creating protective environments by reducing access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide, creating healthy organizational policies and culture and improving access and delivery of suicide care are not necessarily problems we can solve on a college campus either. Fortunately, UCA has on-campus resources available to not only walk in the darkness with you but guide you to the light, like the UCA Counseling Center, which offers free counseling sessions for however long you need them. There are also programs with mentors and peer coaches. 

As college students, we have a part to play, too. We can promote healthy peer norms and engage each other in shared activities, though. 

Start a conversation. Invite someone sitting alone to join you. 

Ask someone how they are, and sit in expectancy for an answer that amounts to more than just “good” — and say something besides that when you’re asked the question. 

While we are here, let’s actually be here, and be present with those around us. 

Those warning signs aren’t just listed for fun, so look up and look at people. Sometimes just a smile is enough to brighten someone’s day.