The suicide rate for the 10- to 24-year-old age group increased 8 percent in 2004, the largest single-year increase in 15 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Friday.

But a statistic is only a number -- until it hits home.

Six days prior to the release of this data, a Penn State student committed suicide in his Shunk Hall dorm room, leaving behind 730 friends in a Facebook.com group that honors him.

To those 730 and more affected, that 8 percent has become a fact of life -- a detail Ben Locke said often falls through the cracks.

"I think that suicide is a real tragedy, but it's also a very private tragedy," said Locke, assistant director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), of the recent incident. "It's not like someone came down with tuberculosis or something, and it's contagious. It's not a threat to anyone on campus. It's a tragedy that affects the life of that person and the people close to that person."

The CDC reported that suicide accounted for 4,599 deaths among those aged 10 to 24, which made it the third leading cause of death. In 2003, suicide accounted for about 4,259 deaths. Data from 2004 was the latest information released.

After 27 years on the job, Penn State Police Sgt. Don Hazel said when it comes to suicides, he has seen it all.

"It's a very permanent solution," he said.
In the event of an on-campus suicide, university police are on the front lines of action -- first responders to someone's last resort.

Feldbaum said Judicial Affairs, the department assigned to manage people "creating a condition that endangers," has seen an increase at Penn State in recent years of students with health and safety issues.

Locke said depression and suicide are "areas of real concern" for colleges and universities.
"What's really important is when students see a friend or a peer who is clearly struggling that they don't ignore those signs," he said.

Based on interviews and observations of what suicide victims have "left behind," Hazel said these subtle signs often lead to catastrophic results.

"They start giving things away, their belongings, things that most people would retain," he said. "It's a signal, and loved ones don't catch on right away."

Mary Anne Knapp, clinical social worker for CAPS, said University Park usually sees one to three suicides per year, cases that could have been prevented with psychological intervention.
Locke said the "psychiatric stigma" still exists, despite CAPS being particularly busy this time of year.

"One of the things we have seen a lot of are first-year students struggling with being away from home, family and adjusting to a very new and large campus," he said. "It is different at smaller universities. The smaller the setting, the more intimate it is."

Locke said he suspects the amount of students currently in crisis at Penn State is around 10.7 percent, a figure reported by the American College Health Association in a study that Penn State participated in.

He said he hopes those students find their way to help before it's too late.
"We aren't going to go out and knock on people's doors," he said. "If you see a friend in need, help them to make that first contact."