Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Dec;62(12):1510-3.
doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.005562010.

Help seeking and mental health service utilization among college students with a history of suicide ideation

Amelia M Arria  1 , Emily R Winick, Laura M Garnier-Dykstra, Kathryn B Vincent, Kimberly M Caldeira, Holly C Wilcox, Kevin E O'Grady
Affiliations

Help seeking and mental health service utilization among college students with a history of suicide ideation

Amelia M Arria et al. Psychiatr Serv. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: This study examined help seeking among 158 college students with a lifetime history of suicide ideation.

Methods: Students were interviewed about episodes of psychological distress, formal treatment, and informal help seeking during adolescence and college.

Results: Of the 151 students reporting any lifetime episodes of distress, 62% experienced the first episode in adolescence, and 54% had episodes in both adolescence and young adulthood. Overall, 87% received informal help, 73% received formal treatment, and 61% received both. Among the 149 who ever sought help or treatment, the most commonly reported sources of help were family (65%), friends (54%), psychiatrists (38%), and psychologists (33%). Of the 94 individuals who experienced suicide ideation in college, 44% did not seek treatment during young adulthood. Treatment barriers reflected ambivalence about treatment need or effectiveness, stigma, and financial concerns.

Conclusions: Most students had some contact with treatment, but family and friends might be important gatekeepers for facilitating treatment access.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. “How many times did you or someone else ever think you needed help or treatment for problems with your emotions, nerves, or mental health?
For first episode, proceed to Episode 1, Box A; if no episodes reporte, end section.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. National Institute of Mental Health . In harm's way: Suicide in America. National Institute of Mental Health; Bethesda, MD: 2003.
    1. Brener ND, Hassan SS, Barrios LC. Suicidal ideation among college students in the United States. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1999;67:1004–1008. - PubMed
    1. Kisch J, Victor Leino E, Silverman MM. Aspects of suicidal behavior, depression, and treatment in college students: Results from the spring 2000 National College Health Assessment Survey. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. 2005;35:3–13. - PubMed
    1. Wellman RJ, Wellman MM. Correlates of suicide ideation in a college population. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 1988;23:90–95. - PubMed
    1. Fergusson DM, Horwood LJ, Ridder EM, et al. Suicidal behaviour in adolescence and subsequent mental health outcomes in young adulthood. Psychological Medicine. 2005;35:983–993. - PubMed

Publication types