Citation

Raphael T, Power SH, Berridge WL. Am. J. Orthopsychiatry 1937; 7(1): 1-14.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1937, American Orthopsychiatric Association, Publisher Wiley Blackwell)

DOI

10.1111/j.1939-0025.1937.tb05555.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a study which focuses on the question of suicide as a problem in college mental hygiene. Two years ago at the University of Michigan, a typical large American university and certainly no exception to college populations generally, suicide accounted for over half of the deaths occurring in the student body. Considering the importance of this matter, it was felt that it might prove of interest to analyze the experience, in this respect, of the mental hygiene unit attached to this institution, during the past five years. The total university enrollment for this five year period was 58,°70 and, during this space, the mental hygiene roster was 3,957 or 5.2%. During the past year, it might be added, the fraction seen by the mental hygiene unit was 8.9% of the total university population. From the standpoint of the specific precipitating item, aside from the influence of some psychotic process, concern or distressed impasse relative to some aspect of the college work, unresolved sex conflict or an ill-going love affair, were the most likely reasons for attempting suicide. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Keywords

College Students; Conflict; Hygiene; Mental Health; Psychosexual Behavior; Suicide