Palmetto Report

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- September is National Suicide Prevention Month and the World Health Organization calls suicide a “global crisis," as the group estimates a person dies by suicide every 40 seconds. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there were 47,000 suicides in the U.S. in 2017, which is a rate of about 129 per day. The CDC estimates for every one suicide death, another 280 people seriously consider it. Among college students, suicide is the second leading cause of death, with roughly 1,000 suicides on college campuses per year. "That is staggering," said Dr. Gretchen Baldwin, a licensed psychologist and the clinical coordinator for counseling services at Winthrop University, who appeared on the Palmetto Report to discuss the topic. Additionally, a recent survey, by health researchers in Boston, found 20 percent of college students have thought about suicide and 9 percent have attempted. "It's an issue here at Winthrop," said Baldwin. "Almost 40 percent of our appointments in counseling service