Exhibit sheds light on college student suicides

Every year, more than 1,000 college students are lost to suicide across the country.

To shed light on this troubling statistic, over 1,000 backpacks will be on display at San Diego City College as part of "Send Silence Packing," a traveling exhibit representing the number of college students who end their lives.

The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency's Behavioral Health Services funded the exhibit, which will be on display at three local colleges and universities.

Send Silence Packing took place Wednesday, May 9, at San Diego City College's Curran Plaza. The exhibit will travel to Palomar College, where it will be on display, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, May 17. Palomar College is located at 1140 W. Mission Road, in San Marcos. It first arrived at California State University San Marcos, April 30.

Send Silence Packing was designed to raise awareness about the incidence and impact of suicide among college students and connect them to needed help, which some people don't get because of the stigma associated with mental health issues. A total of 431 San Diegans ended their lives in 2016.

County Behavioral Health Services decided to bring Send Silence Packing to the region to raise awareness about suicide prevention and mental health as part of Mental Health Awareness Month in May.

If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis and need immediate help, call the county's Access and Crisis Line at (888) 724-7240. Resources are also available at http://up2sd.org/.