The mental health of students has become an increasingly prominent issue in South Africa, with some academics suggesting suicidal behaviour has reached epidemic proportions on university campuses, and a recent survey concluding that scalable prevention interventions are urgently needed to reach the large number of youngsters who report suicidal ideation with intent.
Worldwide, suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29, a third of these occurring among adolescents.
There has been growing awareness globally of these high statistics, with one study of 13 984 first-year students across 19 universities in eight countries reporting 12-month prevalence estimates for suicidal ideation, plan and attempt, of 17.2%, 8.8% and 1.0%, respectively…..more