Student Mental Health on Campus: Claims Involving Suicidal Students

Suicide is among the leading causes of death for college students. United Educators (UE) reviewed 223 claims related to student mental health and found that suicide-related claims were among the most frequent and costliest. This report focuses on key data points and lessons learned from the suicide-related claims. Use them to help your institution prevent and respond to this risk.

See Key Findings: Liabilities and Lessons From Claims Involving Suicidal Studentsfor a 2019 update to this study.

• Suicide prevention is an ongoing campuswide effort.
• Reducing the stigma of seeking help, reminding students that college struggles are a normal part of maturing, and continuously offering support resources may help students get the assistance they need.
• Training those who interact regularly with students to spot distress signs can increase the likelihood of identifying and responding to at-risk students.
• Suicide affects the entire community, and it’s important to know how to respond properly.