Suicidal risk in first-year students at the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (case study)

In the last decade, depressive disorders have increased considerably in the population worldwide, making suicide risk the most severe consequence of untreated depression. Suicide and related risk factors are part of the public health field, and it is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon that affects approximately 800,000 people in the world. In Mexico, suicide is estimated to be the third leading cause of death in 15- to 19-year-olds. This article presents the main findings related to suicidal risk factors in first-year adolescents of the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACh) in the 2019-2020 school year. We applied the life events instrument and in-depth interview for the sample respondents finding that 15.4 % have had some suicidal thoughts and that 25 % of the participants who expressed that one of their parents had died had indicators of suicidal risk. This latter is a highly triggering factor for possible suicide completion. Suicidal indicators are a multifactorial problem present at UACh, from the admission of students to the institution. In addition to the above, the most relevant discursive code obtained is that of hope. The consequences of depression and related problems such as suicidal risk are observed in the possible impact on the students' academic life.