Many college students in the US have thought about suicide while some have actually tried to kill themselves according to a new study presented Sunday at the American Psychological Association annual conference in Boston, MA.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for college students compared to its ranking of ninth among the U.S. population at large, according to the National Alliance on Mental Health.

The survey was conducted by the National Research Consortium of Counseling Centers and Higher Education in the spring of 2006 and involved about 26,000 students at 70 colleges and universities. Lead researcher of the study was David Drum, a professor of education psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.

The survey found that slightly more than half of students had at least one episode of suicidal thinking at some point. Moreover, 15 percent of the students said they had “seriously considered” suicide, meaning they had thought about suicide more than one time.

Also 5 percent of students had actually attempted suicide. Reasons cited for these suicide included “relief from emotional or physical pain” or problems with a romantic relationship or problems with school or academics.

The study suggests that suicidal thoughts could be a common experience among students along with substance abuse, depression, and eating disorders, Drum said.

Chris Brownson, director of the University of Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center in Austin who was also involved in the study said, “suicidal crises are a common occurrence on college campuses.”

Of students who actually made suicide attempts, half said their method was an overdose drug, the survey found. More than half of the students who experienced a suicidal crisis did not seek professional help or tell anyone about their thoughts.

The researchers suggested that students should be educated that any suicidal thoughts and behaviors are a problem that requires attention in order to reduce the number of deaths from this cause. Also, teachers, parents, faculty and administrators, not just mental health professionals, should be more involved to intervene when students become distressed.