UNM students suffering from serious depression or who are considering suicide now have another service at their disposal.
The University recently joined a national mental health coalition, made up of experts from around the country, in an attempt to provide the services college students need to deal with depression.
It began in 1998 when college sophomore Jed Satow committed suicide. His parents, not wanting another family to have to endure the anguish they suffered from losing a child prematurely, began the Jed Foundation in his honor.
The foundation began slowly, with the Satow family organizing local services to fight the growing epidemic of depression in young people in this country, said Phil Satow, president and founder of the foundation.
Soon, he said, the foundation's organizers realized that in order to reach the country's young people, they had to find them on their own turf - the Internet.
Soon after, Ulifeline.org was created, a Web site that addresses typical issues that college students face. Professionals from around the country participate in the site's activities, providing advice in dealing with issues or trying to diagnose depression, Satow said.
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Wanting students to take advantage of the services available to them on their own campuses, the site also links them back to their local services for future face-to-face interaction.
At UNM, that service comes in the form of Counseling and Therapy Services.
"Depression is a very serious public health problem all around the country, but especially in New Mexico," said Carol Wagner-Adams, director of CATS. "Becoming part of this service was essential in providing UNM students the services they need to live long, healthy lives."
Wagner-Adams noted that New Mexico is the worst state in the nation in terms of its suicide rate, with five UNM students taking their own lives last year alone.
She said CATS sees more than 1,200 University students suffering from depression every year.
UNM has been a part of the lifeline program since this summer, she said, after several months of painstaking research to see if it could benefit the University community.
Wagner-Adams said the program is also important because it has services for people looking to research their loved ones' symptoms of depression. The foundation provides suggestions from certified doctors to people looking for help and a list of services in their area that deal with any particular disorders they may have.
"It helps us market our services, which many students are unaware of, with the help of professionals from around the country in individual cases," she said.
Satow said it is an unfortunate fact that many young people fall victim to the social stigma associated with asking for help with personal issues. As a result, he said, many don't seek the assistance they need and suffer needlessly.
The lifeline's Web site, he said, provides an anonymous way for people to express themselves and any problems they might be facing.
"When students are mentally distraught, they sometimes don't see any way out of the situation," Satow said. "We want them to know that this service exists for their benefit."
