'Well-being and suicidal' calls skyrocket for police

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - The number of well-being and suicidal calls at Purdue has almost doubled last fall's numbers and this fall semester isn't even half-way complete.

"All of a sudden, you're on your own," Purdue freshman Cassandra Wells said.

Wells said college can be a scary thing. For many students, it's the first time on their own and workloads can be challenging.

Wells said it may be easy for some students to buckle under the stress.
 
"You're not going to know how they handle stress. Some people handle stress by just being quit, some people go off and workout and stuff," said Wells.

But if students can't handle the stress in a positive way, Purdue police may get a call.

Since Aug. 1, police have responded to 96 well-being or suicidal calls. From Aug. 1 to Dec. 31 of 2011, that number was only 57.

This means the number has almost doubled and there's still time for it to increase.

Police Chief John Cox said public awareness may play a part in the rise.

"Our students and our staff are noticing these signs and symptoms and they're bringing them to our attention, and we're able to reach out and touch these students in a way that we can help them," said Cox.

Even though the number of well-being and calls has increased, Chief Cox said there haven't been any suicides so far this semester.

Craig Kielbasa is a Purdue freshman who knows how to recognize the signs of somebody who is mentally unstable.

"I had a friend in high school who was the same way. He started to go through a depression phase and I was there to talk to him. I talked to his parents about it," said Kielbasa.

Kielbasa said his friend was able to get the help he needed. Chief Cox said police work in the same way to get students the help they need. He said after a call, police will send students to CAPS or Purdue's counseling center.