Recent suicides at Yale College

tonymom
Wed, 09 Nov 2016 01:28:53 +0000

@Dustyfeathers
I applaud your support of your son and agree our youth are under more pressure than ever but I’d caution you to not connect the two suicides at Yale to anything indicative of the college experience at the universities you listed. There is always more to the story than we on the outside are privy to and by falling into the convenient narrative of “over stressed elite school kid succumbs to the pressure” you run the risk of missing the bigger picture.
I work at a middle school and last year we had a 7th grader take his life. It was too painful to imagine but he wasn’t under some horrific academic pressure. This year a local HS teen took her life. Again the pressure to be an over achiever was NOT a factor.
We need to broaden the discussion so that any child/young adult/adult who needs help feels safe to do so.
Mental health is a health issue and should be supported as any other health issue.