Suicide prevention Web site launched

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, and suicide rates have nearly tripled in the past 30 years.\nBut the Jed Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to solving this problem, has created a Web site to provide online help to students.\nThrough Ulifeline.org, students are able to anonymously find information about different mental illnesses, ask questions to experts and seek help through the Internet. \n"There are a lot of advantages to (ULifeline)," said Dr. Ron Thompson, of the Bloomington Center for Counseling and Human Development. "We are always trying to make ourselves more accessible for people to get treatment, and some people just cannot come in (for treatment)."\nThe purpose of an online healthcare center is to help students who are afraid or unsure of going out to seek counseling. \n"Some people just don't want to talk about their problems to anyone -- friends, family, doctors," said Jamie Hopkins, who handles the Jed Foundations' public relations. "This Web site is here for people to be able to get help anytime and get information anytime."\nThere are several services offered through Ulifeline.org. "Go Ask Alice" allows students to ask questions about mental health 24 hours a day. "Go Ask Alice" receives about 1,500 questions a week from college and high school students, parents, teachers and older adults, according to the Web site. \nA Mental Health and Drug information library is also available, featuring consumer health information from Harvard Medical School. \n"Students can go online and ask questions anonymously, without feeling like they are on display," Hopkins said.\nThe Jed Foundation was founded by Phillip and Donna Satow in 2000. The Satows' lost their youngest son Jed to suicide in 1998, his sophomore year in college.\nAbove all, the Jed Foundation is committed to reducing the youth suicide rate and improving the mental health support provided to students by universities nationwide. The Web site is available to colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada, and the number of schools using the Web site has doubled since the summer.\n"I definitely like this concept," Thompson said. "I'm always open to new things, and this could be very helpful to several individuals."\nUlifeline.org is growing rapidly. The Web site is now available to over 1.1 million students. \n"It isn't meant to replace treatment," Hopkins said. "Hopefully it will guide students, show them the proper steps to take if they feel like they or someone they know is at risk for suicide. (Ulifeline.org) increases the number of people who get information."\n-- Contact staff writer Lee Cleary at lgcleary@indiana.edu.