*new* 27Oct11
Report about Bernie Maddoff & wife suicide attempts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/business/madoffs-tried-to-commit-suicide-wife-says.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha25
Some resources re: suicide
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2007/10/10/magazine/1194817120290/suicide-on-campus.html
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention/index.shtml
http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/suicide/index.html
I thought the video we watched about suicide on campus was interesting because of the statistic that kids on college campuses are "safer" against it than those who are not in college. However, I don't think that I personally would ever go to the school pycologist because I don't like talking to strangers about personal matters. I would be more inclined to talking to a close friend.
ReplyDeleteI think that the high rate of suicide in the age group of 15-24 is the most upsetting thing about all of this. At that age, one has barely lived. I just think it's so sad because I feel they are don't realize how great life can be and are missing out on a life that could have turned out to be great.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the video addressed the problem with college that interfere with the diagnosis of mental health issues. Drug and alcohol use/abuse is high in college. Things such as overexertion and high stress levels are also common in college. Add in changing of habits/personality, which are very common in college, and its hard to distinguish what is just college and what is a mental disorder. Colleges are also more apt to hire therapist to help those who are already diagnosed versus someone who can actually do an evaluation on a new case.
ReplyDeleteThese stressors that are introduced through college all add to an increased risk of a student to actually attempt to commit suicide or have suicidal ideation. Statistically 1 out of a 1000 who idealize about suicide will actually commit suicide.
The one mom in video wishes that she had been told about Duke's problems and the state he was in. Through FERPA (Family education rights and privacy act) the school is allowed to notify parents if student is having serious issues. This does not accuse the lack of knowledge that parents often have about their children when they commit suicide and have been seeking help. However, it is a judgment call on when or when not to notify. Of course hindsight is 20/20.
This was a very interesting video. I wish I was more surprised by the facts presented, but having taken Mental Health I wasn't. It is very unfortunate that this is seen like the only way out. I hope that we as a society get better at accepting mental illness has a medical disorder and take away from the stigma it possesses. I think that it would encourage people to seek help sooner if it was not seen in such a negative light.
The video about the school suicides was pretty depressing but that wasn't terribly surprising. College is a time when one must be prepared to handle the stresses of life and this doesn't seem to be emphasized enough. For many college is expected which means puts pressure to succeed. Perhaps we should better prepare high school students for this level of independence rather than focus all our attention of fixing the problem when it arrises. As the video stated there is a significant cost to psychiatrists. Better preparing students could lead to an easier transition time and would help in costs.
ReplyDeleteWatching the video about suicide and college students was not surprising but definitely something that was troubling. It is sometimes difficulty, like Christy, said to determine what is "normal, typical" college and what is a warning sign. Without having someone on a college campus that can diagnosis and treat depression and other disorders, these statistics won't change. Having a school psychologist is important but students won't use this service if they are uncomfortable or unsure of the person. Yes, these psychologists are a start but not a total solution.
ReplyDeleteOften times I think that society is highly critical of mental illness and those that have them are left to feel like the only way out is by taking their own lives. I think that as society as a whole become more tolerant and becomes more educated on mental illness that these rates will fall and become less troubling.
I agree with everyone about how the video was not too surprising. Personally, I have experienced the effects of therapy and psychologists on my family. My sister went to a therapist as a child and again as a teen. I have seen the way it helps her and makes me more open to options like that. As some other people said, they can rely on friends for advice and councilling and that is what I turn to my parents for. However, I think it is important for friends and family to recognize when talking to someone like that isn't enough and I'm glad colleges are trying to find ways to handle that.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I disagree with how much of a stigma is put on mental illness. I do believe it is there, but through education and the availability of information on the topic, people have become more accepting of the fact that there are mentally ill people living in society. Now it is up to everyone who is educated to look within themselves and around them to decide whether the see anyone who is showing signs of a mental illness in their presence.
There were a lot of things in the video that we watched that I did not know. I learned a lot of things from it that surprised me very much like average ages of students that commit suicide and how many students enter college with mental health disorders or issues. I guess the reason the primary reason that I did not know most of this information was that I had never really though about it before. Suicide is something that I have never personally thought about so I had wrongly assumed that it must not be as big of an issue as it really is. I interact with a large amount of other college students every day and never realize or see any warning signs that the video described but from the video I learned that some of the usual "college behavior" might not actually be usual at all.
ReplyDeleteI think that the reason I did was not aware of so many of these facts was that I did not realize how relevant they were today. I think that there are a lot of people in the world and at other colleges like me, who because they do not think about suicide or hear about it much, do not think that it is as abundant or as big of a problem that it is. Also, it is an unpleasant thing to think about so some people choose to push it out of their minds and think of it as something they hear and read about but does not actually happen, or could not happen around them. This is largely why students that are in need of help are not recognized by other adults or their peers. Signs go unnoticed and people don't realize things that they should have that could have helped the person and prevented a bad situation. I think that in order to prevent things like this there needs to be more education on suicide even if it is an uncomfortable subject. This way there will be more people available to talk to and more people aware of what it going on so that more suicides could be prevented.
I think Christy and Jess make very good points about how difficult it can be to identify whether or not a college student’s behavior is due to stress about school and harmless, or if their actions could actually be symptoms of suicidal behavior. Also, if someone goes away to college and is rooming with someone they just met, they could be unsure if certain strange behavior is normal for that person or if these are serious warning signs. I also think that it is very important to have an available and affordable psychologist on campus. Like Christy said, statistically 1 out of a 1000 people who idealize about suicide will actually commit suicide. This indicates that people don’t actually want to go through with it, so if there is help available they will most likely seek it. Being affordable is also an important aspect because being a college student, if help is too expensive they will be less likely to go to it.
ReplyDeleteFrom Megan:
ReplyDeleteThe video on suicide was very interesting and some of the things they mentioned were very troubling. Although we never think about it, it is true that mental health problems are harder to diagnose in college students and a lot of that I feel is built up on cultural expectation. People in society expect college students to be stressed out, drinking alcohol and possible even feeling home sick so no one ever really knows how to say what is the norm and what is not. Culture also teaches college students that this is the time they need to start standing on their own and so students probably feel the need to sort things out on their own. It's an interesting situation in which societies expectations create mental illness and then puts a negative connotation to something that they created. Personally, though I feel the on campus psychiatrist could be helpful it is doubtful that most people who are experiencing problems will utilize that resource due not only to the negative perception in society but also simply admitting that something is wrong. I feel more students would probably benefit more from group therapy, with other people who are having trouble adjusting to college or struggling with the stress of college life. That way the people who are having trouble don't feel like they are social outcasts and can talk through their problems as a group.
The New York Times article regarding Bernie Maddoff’s and his wife’s suicide attempts was very interesting because it presented a different perspective on suicide. In class, many times, teenage and elderly suicide is discussed but never mid-life suicide. Also, the dire situation that brought about these suicide attempts was not medical, but social/financial. Many times these circumstances are overlooked by the class as well – we seem to focus only on medical and pain related situations as realistic excuses for death, never social issues that can cause just as much pain and suffering. While many could argue that Maddoff and his wife were not mentally competent when making these decisions (Mrs. Maddoff even remarked that the decision was very impulsive), I can see how emotional distress can be just as motivating a factor as physical pain to end life. This was discussed a little during the video about suicide on college campuses. I agree with Christy that mental health acceptance needs to be demonstrated in the community and in the media to raise awareness about mental illness and anguish. This mental anguish caused by various situations, ranging from physical illness to financial loss, can be the most motivating factor for suicide. This is seen in the New York Times Article and throughout history.
ReplyDeleteThe video that we watched in class was very eye opening and depressing. I realize that suicide occurs at many college campus' but never do I think it could happen at my college. It's very depressing to hear about someone so young take their life, because they have missed out on so many life experiences. I think that counseling does help the individual with suicide ideation or attempts, but in the end, learning from some of my classes... If someone wants to commit suicide bad enough they will follow through, and there is simply no stopping them. It's a mental illness, and no one besides that individual knows exactly what they are thinking, which could make it difficult.
ReplyDeletefrom Megan
ReplyDeleteChapter 9: PSA
I personally believe that psychiatric evaluation should be an optional but available part of PSA. I think there may be those people who would benefit from speaking with a nonjudgmental and unbiased third party who could really help them put their lives into perspective. Help the person to consider why they are choosing PSA and what they have to gain and lose in doing so. If a family member would ask me to help them commit suicide I can honestly say I would not do it, part of that has to do with personal beliefs and another part is that I have a very difficult time imagining that someone in my family would request that sort of help.I would most definitely try to change their mind and investigate why they want this for themselves. But I would not stop them from seeking out another person to help them in the even that there was no changing their mind. I may not agree with what they are doing or happy about it but I wouldn't keep them from something they feel is truly needed for them.
I think that the video we watched about suicide on campus was very informative. I agree with what others were saying in that I think it is hard to notice the signs for suicide in college students. They have so much going on in their lives, especially when they are transitioning from high school to college. College students are more likely to attempt things they haven’t done before because they have the freedom to do so. They may try alcohol, smoking and maybe even suicide if they get to that point.
ReplyDeleteI found the article about Bernie Maddoff and his wife interesting in that they attempted suicide and it was not successful, but they didn’t attempt it a second time. I would think that if you wanted to commit suicide and it failed you would try again if it was bad enough for you to be in that mindset to begin with. The fact that their son also committed suicide and died shows how emotions can build up and become too much for a person. He might have had the mindset that if his parents could do it why couldn’t he? I believe that your actions speak louder than your words, so for his parents to attempt suicide it made him think he could do it too.
After watching the video on suicide on college campuses. It didn't really surprise me about the statistics of suicide seen in college students. I do agree that if one goes and seeks psychological help it may help them change their mind on whether or not they are going to commit suicide. However as Brittany said... We know that if someone has the means and motive for wanting to take their own life chances are they are going to try and do so, unless they seek help soon enough.
ReplyDeleteI think that college can be a good and a bad thing for kids. It is good because it can give them the experience of living away from home for the first time, if they choose to live on campus but it can also pose many problems. The students are exposed to way more drugs and alchol that are very easy to obtain. They become distance to their parents because they live away from home and likely only go home a couple times a month. I feel like this is a bad thing because your parents tend to know you best or at least the people you grew up around, so when you move away, you lose those connections. Schools can make it even harder for the parents to find out things about their children because of the privacy laws. If the student signs the paper saying they don't want their parents to know about their grades or anything like that, then the school is legally not allowed to tell the parents. I think that this serves as a big problem that needs to be fixed in the school systems. Also in college I feel like you are watched a lot less. They feel like you are an adult so you don't need to be watched over all day everyday, which is true but could be bad. Especially at large universities where there are entirely too many students to individualize attention. Overall, I just feel like some of this could be helped if the parents had a little more information about their children.
ReplyDeleteI agree with sadie that the children during the ages of 15-24 committing suicide is the saddest fact of all the statistics htat are given becuase, like she said, they have barely lived. I have been touched by suicide throughout my life through family members. I know that they feel that it is better for the family members if they were not present becuase they only bring the family down, however, they are not able to process that though they may be a "burden" (though usually they aren't, in my case, they weren't and no one ever believed that), they do not evaluate the aftermath of a death that devastating; they were not nearly done living. I may agree with Dr. Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, however, only in situations wehre the person is too debilitated and incapacitated r/t pain are these situations acceptable; a person taking his/her life because he/she believes it would be "easier" I do not agree with, however, it is an illness and should never be mad at. It is not always the person's fault, unfortunately, mental health/illness is not one of the higher viewed points in the healthcare system even though 1 in 4 individuals experience a form of mental illenss. I also feel like even though colleges offer mental health services, there should be a session stating that students should, especially their freshman years be reuqired to attend one session to express what their pre-conceived notions of therapy are and how they are handling the adjustment from home to school. Something that aides students in the ability to talk to someone and know that their information is safe and is NOT and WILL NOT ever be considered weakness...it is a sign of healht.
ReplyDelete