<p>So last year I got kicked out of school for trying to kill myself. I thought I was never coming back again, so I told people. Now I might be coming back, and apparently a lot more people know than I thought (like professors, and people at neighboring schools). What should I do? “Crazy kid” is not a good reputation to have, and I’m afraid it will impact my ability to make new friends.</p>
<p>What school kicks you out for trying to kill yourself?</p>
<p>^^I’m in college >_> I just hang around HSL a lot.</p>
<p>Forget about making friends; just try to get through college without attempting suicide for a second time.</p>
<p>Apologies, I misunderstood. In that case, how big is your school? Perhaps you should transfer to a larger school where you are just a number. The I’m-a-number strategy is my ticket to success and eternal happiness in college. Plus, I am an awesomely notorious person and I would prefer not to be located easily.</p>
<p>It’s tiny. That probably explains why everyone knows.</p>
<p>I guess transferring would help. But that would mean I’d have to transfer.
Maybe as a last resort.</p>
<p>It’s only as big a thing to others as you say it is. How are they to know such things? Even if they did know, who gives a hoot what they think? It’s your business, not theirs.</p>
<p>It may not be as big of a deal as you think it is. We were making plans to change my sister’s high school after she attempted suicide one year. M mom was at one of my sister’s friends houses speaking with her mother when she got the call so she said what happened as she was running out the door to go to the hospital, so then the friend knew and told people. The people who knew were sympathetic and fewer people knew than she thought. The first week or two were stressful but nobody treated her differently, I don’t think anyone thought she was crazy. If you can handle it maybe you could try it for a semester but be prepared to transfer if you can’t be happy there anymore. That would be a shame, but I could understand why you might want to consider that option. I really don’t think anyone will treat you badly because of it, it’s just a matter if you can handle something so private not being quite so private.</p>
<p>Believe it or not, it’s not a big deal to return to college after having mental health problems. Lots of people see therapists. More people than you probably realize have been suicidal or have made suicide attempts. This includes me. I did that when I was in college. I used to be ashamed of it, but I have met many people who did similar things, and after having therapy went on to live very successful lives. This includes classmates from my Ivy alma mater.</p>
<p>Also, most people don’t care that much about other people’s lives. Your taking time off for college due to a suicide attempt isn’t something that most people would be focusing on because they’d be far more interested in their own lives and problems.</p>
<p>Lots of people have in some way been touched by suicide: they’ve considered it themselves, know someone who has, know someone who’s tried, know someone who’s succeeded, etc. The fact that you’ve tried isn’t something that’s going to be scandalous or overly shocking. Even if your profs know, I would be willing to bet that they’ve had other students with similar experiences. </p>
<p>And people are a lot less interested in past problems than they are in what is happening right now. You did something, time has passed, now you’re back in school. </p>
<p>If you don’t act like it was a big deal, people won’t treat it as a big deal. Anyone gossiping about it would just look petty. And if your school is tiny, there will be opportunities for people to move on to being in somebody else’s business. </p>
<p>If you return to school, try to act as you would if you didn’t feel that this was hanging over your head. Go to classes, study, be involved in the same things that interested you before, talk to new people you think you might like, etc. If you hold back from your college experience based on what you think others might know about you, people will notice a difference and attribute it to the suicide attempt.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. I guess it’s really not as big a deal as I’m making it out to be. It’s just freaky that so many people know. And my sister did a lot to scare me by being like “OMG THEY ALL THINK YOU’RE NUTS”</p>