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[Teen</a> Suicide | American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry](<a href=“http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/teen_suicide]Teen”>http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/teen_suicide)</p>
<p>It isn’t just a NY or prep school thing.</p>
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<p>Well, the links (ABC and CBS NEWS) are reporting he jumped to his death. He went to a dance studio, opened up the window, and jumped out.</p>
<p>I see, hmom5. Now that you mention it, I remember that when we lived on the Upper East Side, the parks were full of kid with nannies, even on the weekends. This was especially true when we went to Central Park, to the sections bordering on the ritzy areas.</p>
<p>I really don’t want to turn this into a thread on prep school or NYC kid suicides. There are sad, depressed, sick kids everywhere. Growing up in NY does come with some negatives, but also many positives.</p>
<p>I agree, hmom. I really think that suicides have more to do with mental illness than academic or social pressure. I followed up on your comment because I was curious about what was, for us, the road not taken. If we’d stayed in the city, then S1 would probably have ended up at Dalton or a similar schoool.</p>
<p>I think teen suicide knows no boundaries. I don’t think this is a NYC thing or a prep school thing. It happens everywhere. Often there are emotional issues or illnesses associated with it. Kids can come from all walks of life. We have no idea the issues with this particular boy. But it is not unique to where he lives or the kind of school he attends.</p>
<p>This is very sad.
My kids know so many kids at Dalton.
Hmom5, I agree with your last post.</p>
<p>Nor is it unique to this era. I went to one of those NYC private schools (graduated in the mid-70’s), and a girl in the class ahead of mine committed suicide in much the same way, although it didn’t happen at the school itself. She was probably suffering from what we would now recognize as clinical depression, which can strike anyone, anywhere.</p>
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<p>Isn’t it strange how egregiously neglectful parenting often seems to occur at opposite ends of the income scale—the very impoverished and the extremely affluent?—Not implying that the poor kid in the OP suffered from neglectful parenting, btw. I’m just responding to the above quote. </p>
<p>Suicide is very often the by-product of severe clinical depression, and depression has its roots in faulty brain chemistry, which seems to respect no income boundaries. Up until menopause, I was very prone to severe bouts of clinical depression, starting in my early teens, when I swallowed a bottle of aspirin, and I have never qualified as affluent.</p>
<p>Stop with the NYC bashing already! As many of you have pointed out, suicide is, unfortunately, very common in this age group. I know many of the Dalton families, and this boy was an athlete, a brilliant sudent, and a lovely kid. This is a tragedy - and has NOTHING to do with nannies in Central Park!</p>
<p>The entire base that forms NYC (the finance industry) is corrupt and its influence spills over to all other areas. Win at all costs. More more more and too much is never enough. I switched jobs a few years ago from one based in NYC to one based in LA. The differences are just amazing. NYC sucks and that’s that.</p>
<p>Thanks for the stereotype. So glad you are no longer here.</p>
<p>^That is funny because I had an entirely different experience in my years in NYC. I worked with many in finance and a wide range of other professionals. What I witnessed was a huge number of very hard working people. Had nothing to do with needing/having more and everything to do with achievement and being one’s best. It’s a city full of extremely talented and brilliant people crossing the spectrum of occupations. Wall St has it’s problems, but that is a systems issue, not a personality issue. </p>
<p>Given your political orientation Barrons, I am sure you would hate NYC no matter what. You would never fit there and I’m sure you said you hated it before even living there. Oh, but wait, did you?</p>
<p>barrons: I’m really surprised at this coming from you…so level headed usually on CC…</p>
<p>Unfortunately, for the NYC community in general and the Dalton family, in particular, this is getting much more press than other suicides in the tri-state area have gotten in the past few years…as others have stated, this could/has/will/does happen anywhere, but we don’t hear about it (thank goodness)…one of the disadvantages of geography…but barrons, you can’t really believe what you wrote? Everyone falls under the same category with you? </p>
<p>as Jupiter said, thanks for the stereotype…you do your current city name justice…</p>
<p>There are professional haters in the world:) Sitting somewhere, usually very alone, feeling very self righteous and superior.</p>
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So you won’t accept my lunch invitation?</p>
<p>never been to NYC but teen boys may climb on buildings for other reasons than to commit suicide. ( ok I just read that he wasn’t climbing on the roof)</p>
<p>buildering is very popular on college campuses.
I had friends ( boys) who I would go out climbing with ( in high school)- but when it got to the jumping part- thankfully I recognized that my skills were limited ( no sh** since I am dyspraxic and that affects gross motor skills), and I climbed down.</p>
<p>We weren’t on substances BTW.</p>
<p>Id also mention that while I know it is popular to blame parents- I think we all can agree it is very difficult to raise children, and the skills involved in getting pregnant and what it takes to raise emotionally healthy children have nothing to do with each other.</p>
<p>I also think that as difficult as it was to be a teen in the 70’s, the pressures, challenges and stresses on children thirty years later are greater.</p>
<p>When I was in junior high, one of my classmates committed suicide, she was from a strong family- but had problems and was staying with a friend of the family while she got it sorted out- however- in retrospect she probably should have been hospitalized.</p>
<p>A few years ago, a girl who had been on one of D’s sports teams- committed suicide, however- I feel that was driven by impulsiveness, not drugs or clinical depression.
It doesn’t take much for a 15 year old to do a stupid impulsive thing.
Unfortunately, while smoking a joint or having unprotected sex isn’t likely to kill you, jumping off a bridge after a fight with your mother may.</p>
<p>( I also just realized that - I moved out when I was 17 and I experimented with drugs/sex/alcohol- a great deal- not thinking about how dangerous that was.
I have been hyperventilating because my 18 yr old is going to India next week for three months- but actually- she has prepared for this- and it is likely much safer than the type of exploring I had been doing when I was her age)</p>
<p>I have great sympathy for any of us raising teens or who once were one.</p>
<p>Hey barrons, the feeling’s mutual, we don’t want you here in NYC!</p>
<p>It’s absurd to generalize from one tragic incident, not to mention thoughtless and cruel. Our kids are growing up with so much pressure these days. The students in NY are indeed exposed to more than their peers elsewhere, but this can just as easily result in a maturity and level-headedness, and an awareness of consequences. My daughter sometimes comments on the cluelessness of her suburban classmates at college, how narrow their perspective is, which is reflected in class discussions. She finds it entertaining but mostly frustrating. </p>
<p>But back to the original post, I can’t help but think it’s us parents who are piling on the pressure. These kids face so much and they come home and it’s more of the same. There’s no sanctuary for them anywhere.</p>
<p>“So you won’t accept my lunch invitation?”</p>
<p>Only if it’s at a good NJ diner.</p>
<p>Having dealt with similar industry people all over the country for over 30 years I can say without hesitation that the jerk factor for NYC based folks is about 5:1 over the next worse city–and there really is not a next worse as everywhere else most everyone is pretty nice. Only NY Ibankers have questioned our smarts and professionalism because we would not go along with some of their stupid underwriting in deals. They try to apply pressure by calling our top counterparts in the NY office and threatening their future work if we would not go along. Now many of those same people are out of work and the deals they did anyway are underwater all over the country. Until you have some a-hole screaming over the phone that you are stupid you really don’t appreciate the NY way. But it is nice not to hear from those folks anymore. Wonder what they are doing?</p>
<p>It’s so hard to believe anyone would call you…stupid…in NY or elsewhere, Barrons:)</p>