CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Another North Carolina State University student has died from an apparent suicide. It happened on Thursday and is the fourth suicide on campus so far this school year. It comes one week after NC State’s first wellness day, a day without classes to give students time to focus on their mental health.
The student was a male sophomore and was found on campus.
The mental health of teens and young adults is in the spotlight as new research shows many people who are struggling with a mental illness are not getting help.
“Half of Americans say they have a mental health condition and only about half say they’re getting the help for the treatment,” Christena Huntsman Durham, with the Huntsman Mental Health Foundation said.
The pandemic exacerbated the issue, especially in kids and young adults.
“Many, many young people are suffering from symptoms of depression and anxiety. Some have guilt because they watched family members die. We know the social isolation that occurred because these children were unable to have the peer support they’re used to,” Dr. Mark Hyman Rapaport with the Huntsman Mental Health Institute said.
He said 75% of mental health disorders begin between ages 10 and 24. Early intervention is key but there’s a persistent stigma that’s interfering. The Huntsman Mental Health Foundation is teaming up with The Ad Council to launch a new mental health initiative to reduce that stigma and encourage people to take a proactive approach to mental health.
“Stigma is the number one reason that people do not get help,” Huntsman Durham said. “We as a society need to look at each other when we’re dealing with a mental health issue like we do with cancer or heart disease or diabetes.”
Placing just as much value on mental health as physical health.
If you or a loved one are facing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, there is help readily available. You can call Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat with them online. There are also resources in North Carolina available here and in South Carolina available here.
Contact Chloe Leshner at cleshner@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.