An Empirically Supported Program to Prevent Suicide in a College Student Population

In the fall of 1984, the University of Illinois instituted a formal program to reduce the rate of suicide among its enrolled students. At the core of the program is a policy requiring any student who threatens or attempts suicide to attend 4 sessions of professional assessment. The consequences for failing to comply include withdrawal from the university. The rate of suicide at locations within Champaign County have decreased from 6.91 per 100,000 enrolled students during the 8 years prior to the program’s start to a rate of 3.78 during the first 21 years of the program. (54 refs.)