Derek Day could be his teachers' star student or worst nightmare. They just better know who they were dealing with.
If not, watching him debate with his teachers was like watching someone pull the wings off a fly, said Jeffrey Day, Derek's father.
Yosef Shuman, Derek's roommate, experienced his debating skills firsthand.
"He would philosophically argue you into the ground," Shuman said.
Derek was a voracious reader, talented photographer and award-winning playwright.
Neither Derek's roommate nor his father expected he would commit suicide in early January, just before he was to begin classes at UF.
At 19 when he took his life, Derek's death is one example of a problem on campuses nationwide.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year olds in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
UF and most other universities offer resources to help students cope with depression, which is an avenue Derek took about a year ago.
Although he briefly received counseling for depression early in 2007, Derek reassured his parents that he didn't have a problem. Jeffrey said their last Christmas family vacation was among the best times they had spent with Derek.
"He was very upbeat and forward-thinking," he said.
Jeffrey said Derek seemed to be doing fine as he transferred to UF for the spring, and that he had no idea about Derek's inner struggle.
"We were very, very shocked," he said.
Dr. Wayne Griffin, the coordinator for UF's Suicide Prevention and Education Program, said there are some stressors that are especially significant for college students. The transition from home to college can present new challenges, Griffin said. Building new friendships during the interlude is one of the most important aspects of a new student's mental health, he said.
The academic environment of the university can also contribute to stress. Large classes can make students feel less valuable, he said, and competition and deadlines can also be stressful.
These stressors can lead to hopelessness, one of the key indicators of suicidal feelings, Griffin said.
"Often it's born out of a sense of 'nothing is changing, nothing is going to change,'" he added.
When people are in anguish, they also tend to filter their perceptions to focus on suffering, he said.
In the note he left his parents, Derek showed signs of these emotions. He wrote about not wanting to live in a world where governments don't take care of their citizens and people take advantage of each other, Jeffrey Day said.
"He realized that the values he had were not compatible with the world we live in," he added.
A major warning sign of these feelings is a significant change in behavior, Griffin said.
Withdrawing from relationships and responsibility is common. Shifts in overall mood, usually toward aggression or sadness, can also be signals, he said. Although these indications are not always recognizable by family and friends, Griffin said most people who are having suicidal thoughts try to communicate them in some way.
A more obvious indicator of suicidal feelings is the person actually mentioning suicide, said Rob Lotzkar, the volunteer coordinator at the Alachua County Crisis Center.
If someone makes reference to suicide, don't ignore it, he said.
"Most people who kill themselves say something to someone," he said. "That may be your only chance to intervene."
Griffin said the most important action suicidal students should take is to get counseling, either by talking to friends and family or professionals.
On campus, UF's Counseling Center and Student Mental Health Services have same-day and emergency appointments. Clinicians are available by phone during working hours at the Counseling Center and 24 hours a day at Student Mental Health, Griffin said. The Alachua County Crisis Center also has telephone counselors available 24 hours a day, as well as face-to-face appointments and emergency walk-in counseling.
The Crisis Center also offers the Survivors of Suicide support group for those who have been touched by suicide. Sometimes survivors avoid dealing with their emotions in unhealthy ways by bottling them up, Dr. Marshall Knudson, the director of the Crisis Center, said. Survivors often feel guilt for not recognizing a problem and preventing the suicide, Knudson said.
In Derek's case, even his closest friends and family couldn't see any signs of the hurt he was feeling.
The only person who could explain it now is no longer with us, Day said.
"To lose him so early in life is just a tragedy unto itself," Day said. "Derek's solution to a temporary problem was far too permanent," he said.
