College Student Suicides
My mother’s heart breaks when I read about the students who’ve taken their lives at Cornell University. http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2010/03/19/2010-03-19_recent_wave_of_suicides_at_cornell_leaves_parents_worried_and_students_anxious_.html I can think of no greater loss to a family. We all expect our children to outlive us and when that doesn’t happen and suicide appears to be the cause, so many questions and doubts arise.
It is my hope that schools will add resources to help identify students who are contemplating suicide and actively help those students make other choices before it is too late. It seems like some schools are doing this better than others.
As for my own college age children, I am praying that they will always know that they can contact me any time day or night and that they use the resources on campus and in the community and those that I’ve worked hard to extend to them (like the student assistance plan) to help them make healthy choices.