Colleges and suicide

bookworm
Fri, 03 Dec 2004 22:54:23 +0000

Thanks for the link to article, Marite. I think its interesting that this student took herself off her meds within first 3 weeks of college. She had not yet faced pressure of midterms or papers yet, and one has to wonder if she could successfully have navigated the additional stresses.
I’ve met many college students who should never have gone far from home for college, because they come with unresolved eating disorders, self-mutilation, Alc/drug problems. The college life style–staying up late, relying on coffee, eating improperly–exacerbates underlying tendencies for depr, bipolar, and Sz.
I wish students who worry about roommates would confide in their RAs, and the RAs would be trained to recognize symptoms and to push for an evaluation by a professional. Of course, there would be a few ‘false positives’. Similarly, professors reading papers that suggest very real personal problems could speak directly to the student.
Its idealistic to think that the news focus on mental illness and suicide, death by Alc, will make everyone more sensitive, but one can hope.
And yes, i too am a strong believer in mental health days. Sometimes it meant going to school late or leaving early