Help Seeking and Mental Health Service Utilization Among College Students With a History of Suicide Ideation

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

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

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.

Most students had some contact with treatment, but family and friends might be important gatekeepers for facilitating treatment access. (Psychiatric Services 62:1510–1513, 2011)