Pre-pandemic, more than 4,000 NC State students reported suicidal thoughts; University reeling from 5 suicides this school year

A report released Tuesday recommended more than 50 potential changes to improve mental health at North Carolina State University as the campus continues to mourn the loss of five students who died by suicide this school year.

The 89-page report released by the university's Student Mental Health Talk Force cites a 2019 study that shows students’ mental health was suffering even before the pandemic with 12% — or more than 4,000 students — reporting they had suicidal thoughts.

The university formed the Student Mental Health Talk Force in November 2022. The school had four suicides in the fall semester and has had one so far in the spring semester.

The report outlines long-term goals, like adding a dean of students and more gathering spaces, creating a wellness app, suicide prevention training for faculty, relaxed attendance policies, more flexibility with assignments and a peer mentoring program.

Those recommendations take on greater significance in a school year that has seen five N.C. State students die by suicide. During and after the pandemic, student mental health has become a much more common topic of conversation and concern.

The task force’s report also cited the Center for Collegiate Mental Health’s 2022 annual report, which shows of the students seeking mental health services, 72.4% said the pandemic affected their mental health, and 66.7% said it affected feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Based on the 2019 survey, “one could estimate that 4,440 N.C. State students had suicidal thoughts in the past year,” the report states. “Moreover, of the students surveyed, 52% endorsed receiving some type of treatment for their mental health.

“However, this means that 48% — or about 2,131 students who report suicidal thoughts — are not receiving any counseling or medication intervention for their mental health needs.”

“I want people to know that so much effort went into this,” said undergraduate student Eleanor Lott, who is on the Mental Health Task Force.

Lott is one of three students on the school’s Student Mental Health Task Force that includes 30 faculty and staff members.

On Feb. 11, N.C. State University Police found a female engineering student dead of a suicide inside Sullivan Hall. During the 2022-23 school year, it marked the fifth suicide on campus and the eighth student death.

In the last three months, the Student Mental Health Task Force received more than 1,100 public comments.

“A big thing was lack of community,” Lott said. “They felt like N.C. State did not have the community that it had pre-COVID is what we heard.”

On Tuesday, N.C. State student Ph.D sociology student Benjamin Pulgar-Guzman addressed the Raleigh City Council about the suicides on campus.

"When we confront the administration, we are told repeatedly the same old story," Pulgar-Guzman said. "They tell us, 'Our hands are tied.'

"A frequent response is the Counseling Center is overwhelmed. We say, 'Then hire more counselors.' They say, 'There's a counselor shortage.' We say, 'Then reimagine the Counseling Center and its functions so you're not just a crisis center, but a mental wellness and a conflict management center.'"

Pulgar-Guzman said the students and university have struggled to find solutions.

"There are initiatives after initiatives, Band-Aid after Band-Aid, on a gaping wound," Pulgar-Guzman said. "And this wound cannot be seen the way others can, so it is hard for all parties involved to understand how to remedy it.

"Never mind to understand how deep it actually goes. We know that we mentally ache for a better society, for healing from our traumas, for love through our insecurities and justice and community in an unequal and individualistic society."

N.C. State has added eight counselor positions, expanded its network of off-campus providers and signed a new contract to provide free telehealth support after the student deaths.

Monica Osburn, the executive director of the Counseling Center and Prevention Services, said the school is prioritizing people with emergency needs.

In the fall, struggling students complained of two-month wait times for a counseling appointment on campus.

“Any student who wants to access services, they will be seen that day if they want to be seen that day,” Osburn said of the changes.

The report says some changes could happen by the end of the school year. It includes mental health training for students, a campus-wide theme to promote wellness and hiring more counselors.

N.C. State also launched a free telehealth counseling service this semester.

“If you are willing to do therapy online, I think it’s a fantastic resource,” Lott said.

Professors are asking for changes to student advising. A consideration is reducing the student-to-faculty ratio to help first-year students adjust and stay on track.

“It’s the small things that will really build community so students can come together and say they are proud to go to N.C. State,” Lott said.

N.C. State students said they’re struggling with time management, especially coming out of the pandemic with most of their classes online.

The report also suggests adding a course for first-year students that tackles topics like stress and time management, college life and where to seek help with your mental health.

If you're having suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, call or text 988. Veterans can press “1” after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline. For texts, veterans should continue to text the Veterans Crisis Lifeline short code: 838255.