Three Attempted Suicides Reported

Two Harvard juniors and a third Harvard-affiliated individual attempted to commit suicide within the three days preceding Thanksgiving vacation, according to Harvard police reports.

The two undergraduates, a male from Cabot House and a female from Lowell House, were taken to Mt. Auburn Hospital for medical treatment, said Gerald R. Reardon, deputy chief of the Cambridge Fire Department.

But Cabot House Senior Tutor Julian P. Chang '86 and Lowell House Master William H. Bossert '59 said neither student sustained serious medical injuries.

According to the police, the Cabot incident was reported at 8:36 a.m. on November 21, and the Lowell occurrence was reported at 10:01 p.m. on November 22.

The third incident occurred at 5:41 p.m. on November 24 on Banks St., but no further information was available.

A roommate of the Cabot House student who attempted suicide said he felt the situation had returned to normal.

"The person is okay now. Everything is back to normal," he said. "It was emotional, not related to classes."

The attempts raise an issue not often discussed openly in the Harvard community. On average, one or two Harvard students commit suicide per year, said Dr. Randolph Catlin, chief of mental health services at UHS, although the number is "very variable."

The holiday season is a particularly difficult time for students because of increased workloads and sometimes because of worries about returning to their homes, Catlin said.

"Some students may be concerned about going home into family situations that make them feel over- whelmed," Catlin said. "Often, suicide seemslike a way to escape."

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III saidUniversity policy treats suicide attempts on anindividual basis and emphasizes psychologicalcounseling seling for recovery.

"The response is an individual one, using theagencies at the College, including [UniversityHealth Services (UHS)] and Bureau of StudyCounsel," Epps said.

Epps said student suicide attempts are notcaused by a lack of information on the part of theUniversity, and that students who do try to killthemselves usually recover from the emotionalproblems that made them consider suicide as anoption.

"Every attempt is made to inform students ofthe resources available through publicity,orientation meetings and peer counseling groups,"Epps said. "On the whole, students [who haveattempted suicide] have been able to rebound."

The most important treatment for those who haveattempted suicide is to offer a them supportiverelationships, Catlin said. "The one thing thatseems to be really therapeutic is their getting toknow that someone cares."

Catlin said for that reason, friends ofindividuals who may be suicidal should considerwhether alerting professionals of the problem willcompromise the relationship.

"If they'll see it as a betrayal of confidence,it will undermine the relationship," Catlin said."You should try to get them to be aware that thisis something they can be helped with."

A peer counselor at Room 13 said yesterday thatfriends of potentially suicidal students shouldconfront the issue before a problem occurs.

"If you feel a person is suicidal, you don'twant to try to avoid the issue," he said. "Youwant to use the word `suicide' and talk about itdirectly."

A report by the Journal of College StudentPsychotherapy last year found that about eight in100,000 college students commit suicide, and thatmale students are twice as likely to killthemselves as female students.

Reardon said the Cambridge Fire Departmentdeals with many suicide attempts throughout theyear, both by college students and city residents.

"There could be hundreds of suicide attempts inthe general [Cambridge] population each year,"Reardon said. "Over the holidays, suicide attemptsincrease. It can also relate to exam time,especially finals with certain people."

But Lt. Lawrence J. Murphy, acting chief of theHarvard University Police Department, said suicideattempts occur infrequently at Harvard.

"I don't think attempts occur that often,"Murphy said. "I'd have to say this is uncommon."

Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57 saidwhile there are many reasons for suicide attempts,students rarely kill themselves.

"It usually involves people who are depressedor under pressure," Jewett said. "They might bepersonal problems that are not related to school.There isn't a single pattern, but fortunately,there are actually few successful [suicide]attempts."

Catlin said an important distinction must bemade between those who actually kill themselvesand those who attempt to do so.

"People that really commit suicide are peoplethat want to die," Catlin said. "People that makesuicide attempts are sending messages that theyneed help.

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III saidUniversity policy treats suicide attempts on anindividual basis and emphasizes psychologicalcounseling seling for recovery.

"The response is an individual one, using theagencies at the College, including [UniversityHealth Services (UHS)] and Bureau of StudyCounsel," Epps said.

Epps said student suicide attempts are notcaused by a lack of information on the part of theUniversity, and that students who do try to killthemselves usually recover from the emotionalproblems that made them consider suicide as anoption.

"Every attempt is made to inform students ofthe resources available through publicity,orientation meetings and peer counseling groups,"Epps said. "On the whole, students [who haveattempted suicide] have been able to rebound."

The most important treatment for those who haveattempted suicide is to offer a them supportiverelationships, Catlin said. "The one thing thatseems to be really therapeutic is their getting toknow that someone cares."

Catlin said for that reason, friends ofindividuals who may be suicidal should considerwhether alerting professionals of the problem willcompromise the relationship.

"If they'll see it as a betrayal of confidence,it will undermine the relationship," Catlin said."You should try to get them to be aware that thisis something they can be helped with."

A peer counselor at Room 13 said yesterday thatfriends of potentially suicidal students shouldconfront the issue before a problem occurs.

"If you feel a person is suicidal, you don'twant to try to avoid the issue," he said. "Youwant to use the word `suicide' and talk about itdirectly."

A report by the Journal of College StudentPsychotherapy last year found that about eight in100,000 college students commit suicide, and thatmale students are twice as likely to killthemselves as female students.

Reardon said the Cambridge Fire Departmentdeals with many suicide attempts throughout theyear, both by college students and city residents.

"There could be hundreds of suicide attempts inthe general [Cambridge] population each year,"Reardon said. "Over the holidays, suicide attemptsincrease. It can also relate to exam time,especially finals with certain people."

But Lt. Lawrence J. Murphy, acting chief of theHarvard University Police Department, said suicideattempts occur infrequently at Harvard.

"I don't think attempts occur that often,"Murphy said. "I'd have to say this is uncommon."

Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57 saidwhile there are many reasons for suicide attempts,students rarely kill themselves.

"It usually involves people who are depressedor under pressure," Jewett said. "They might bepersonal problems that are not related to school.There isn't a single pattern, but fortunately,there are actually few successful [suicide]attempts."

Catlin said an important distinction must bemade between those who actually kill themselvesand those who attempt to do so.

"People that really commit suicide are peoplethat want to die," Catlin said. "People that makesuicide attempts are sending messages that theyneed help.