A comprehensive study of suicidal thinking among college students found more than half of the 26,000 surveyed had suicidal thoughts at some point during their lifetime.
To this I can only say "duh", and marvel that the percentage isn't significantly higher. Seriously, only half of people averaging 20 years old had ever thought of suicide? Really?
So much for how bad life is here in the United States.
But the article goes on to say:
"Suicidal crises are a common occurrence on college campuses," says Chris Brownson, director of the University of Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center in Austin and one of the study's researchers.
If all these suicidal thoughts are happening at college, that would be something to consider. Barring that, though, I don't see how those two quotes above can be reconciled.
Let's see, you have kids who are on their own for the first time and are encountering adult situations with drugs, alcohol, sex and responsibility. Without any sort of safety net, or without the background of making decisions and living by them, many kids fall short. I have seen parents who make all of their child's decisions for the first 18 years of life and then the kids are turned loose on a world that simply doesn't care about their goals. Frankly, a well trained housing staff helps to bridge the gap. But in the meantime, organizations that promote endless partying cause many of the problems on campus. Maybe if we moved to a program where everyone spent their first year of college in smaller local schools before leaving, it would give kids a chance to grow into their roles as adults.
ReplyDelete