STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Risk Factors

Disabilities can increase suicide risk among college students. Students with physical, emotional, or cognitive disabilities, like all college students, are at risk for suicide. Research has shown that the risk for suicide is higher if the disability is less visible. Students with disabilities may experience:

• The severity and visibility of a disability,
• An unwillingness to seek help because of mental health stigma
• Higher rates of mental health concerns
• Difficulty in daily activities, economic hardships, and other social stressors such as felt stigma around disability
• Caregiver abuse or neglect
• Lack of access to proper mental health care such as transportation or communication barriers
• Poverty and unemployment (employment discrimination because of disability and/or difficulty accessing full-time employment opportunities) 

Suicide Risk Increases with Experiences such as:

• Experiences of prejudice or discrimination because of disability (ableism)