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<p>From the article, I assume the same one you are talking about-</p>
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<p>It must be very important to some people that this death is not a suicide. They hold onto the tiniest doubt. Why? In contrast, in MIT forum where I would think insiders hang, it is never questioned.</p>
<p>Iglooo, the outcome is sad for this student, regardless of cause. But either of these causes of death are openings for parents to have frank discussions about dangers their students may face. No one on here is judging the student.</p>
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<p>Actually, that was not my rationale for bringing it up. I merely wanted to point out that there are two possible ways in which this student could have died. As parents, we should be thinking about what can be done to reduce the likelihood of young people dying in either of the two ways. That’s all.</p>
<p>[Cross-posted with vlines, who seems to be reading my mind.]</p>
<p>:) to Marian, glad to share the mind waves with you.</p>
<p>I have no idea of everything that is on the actual death certificate. All I know is that the article states that the death was ruled a suicide. That sounds at least semi-offiicial. I don’t know if that was on the death certificate, a coroner’s report, a police report, or whatever. Or if the reporter just made it up.</p>
<p>@Marian Technically, that’s true. It can happen in different ways. But we question the outcome more closely if either we don’t believe it or wish a different outcome. It seems to me you are using technicality to stay in denial consciously or subconsciously missing out pointers that contradict. The initial ariticle a few days ago, did not at all elaborate that it could be anything else. MIT chancellor is grouping this death with the prior suicide. They are reviewing their mental health support. And as bovertine spelled it out, it is mentioned to be a suicide in the article that somehow went unnoticed.</p>
<p>Iglooo, I am not sure it is accurate to say that is denial. Some of us just think differently. </p>
<p>There are some of us that could hear a herd of animals galloping towards us and think “Hummm, I wonder if it could be zebras?”, instead of the more obvious herd of horses. Sometimes, it may be zebras. Either way, there is a herd of animals barrelling towards you, and you need to decide what you are going to do. </p>
<p>There are two “common” ways to die from self-inflicted asphyxiation. Most of the time, “self-inflicted” does indicate intentional suicide. Sometimes, it does not. The one thing that the article is actually clear on is that the death certificate says “self-inflicted”. It is not clear whether “suicide” is actually on the death certificate, or if it is ASSUMED to be suicide by the writer based on the term “self-inflicted”. ie: writer is assuming horses, and it ends up being zebras…</p>
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<p>Perhaps it’s worth mentioning that the article is from the MIT student paper and therefore was written by a student. Unlike an experienced professional reporter, this young person may never have encountered a zebra before.</p>
<p>While we have no information in this particular case, there are other causes of accidental death from asphyxiation. This includes the “choking game” that has taken the lives of too many young adults [Unintentional</a> Strangulation Deaths from the “Choking Game” Among Youths Aged 6–19 Years — United States, 1995–2007](<a href=“http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5706a1.htm]Unintentional”>Unintentional Strangulation Deaths from the "Choking Game" Among Youths Aged 6--19 Years --- United States, 1995--2007). Thre is also the autoerotic choking experience that accidentally took the life of David Carradine. [url=<a href=“http://perezhilton.com/2009-07-03-details-on-the-death-of-david-carradine-accidental-asphyxiation#.TrAHe0P7jJg]Details”>http://perezhilton.com/2009-07-03-details-on-the-death-of-david-carradine-accidental-asphyxiation#.TrAHe0P7jJg]Details</a> On The Death Of David Carradine, Accidental Asphyxiation | PerezHilton.com<a href=“this%20was%20mentioned%20above”>/url</a>.</p>
<p>So I do agree that the term “death by asphyxiation” does leave open the possibility for speculation. I also think that it is important to discuss this, as if it prevents even one tragedy, that is a good thing.</p>
<p>All that said, if they ruled it a suicide, it is likely they have more inofrmation than we do. Very sad all the way around.</p>
<p>I once said to my son “if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck”. He responded, “no, it could be a genetic mutation of another waterfowl that makes it closely mimic the physical traits of a duck. You would have to study it closer to be sure”. </p>
<p>he was 12. So I guess that thought process could run in the family.</p>
<p>Smart kid, vlines!</p>
<p>These articles are a few years old, but address the rising rate of suicides amongst the asian-american population.
[The</a> High Suicide Rate of Asian Americans - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com](<a href=“http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/716889/the_high_suicide_rate_of_asian_americans.html]The”>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/716889/the_high_suicide_rate_of_asian_americans.html)</p>
<p>[Suicide</a> Rates Rising Among Asian Americans](<a href=“http://www.asianweek.com/2009/08/14/suicide-rates-rising-among-asian-americans/]Suicide”>http://www.asianweek.com/2009/08/14/suicide-rates-rising-among-asian-americans/)</p>
<p>So now people are accusing this author of just making things up.<br>
That’s nice.</p>
<p>Have you folks seen the actual death certificate? How do you know the author didn’t just make up that part too?</p>
<p>Yes, some people will believe what they want to believe regardless of existing information.</p>
<p>Is there some posts that suggests posters feel the author is making something up, bovertine? Maybe I overlooked that. I dont see that. I do see people specullating about other possibilities, though it seems highly unlikely in this particular case that the asphyxiation was accidental, as it is not mentioned anywhere in the article.</p>
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<p>What he looked like? What does that have to do with it?</p>
<p>It strikes me that the chancellor–and the family–may find it easier to publicly acknowledge and address a death by suicide than a death from autoerotic strangulation. Would a proud Japanese family living in the public eye prefer that people think their son committed suicide, or that he died accidentally in a manner that many would find humiliating? In either case, the loss of an 18 yr old is terribly sad, and as a parent I am heartsick for his family.</p>
<p>LOL bovertine, “making things up” may be strong. Making assumptions is very common with people from the press. And this is a college age student, who may not realize that there could be more to this story, or realize that the term “self-inflicted” can have more than one meaning. </p>
<p>And no, I do not accept what is written in any newspaper as 100% accurate.</p>
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To me, when an author posts that “the death was ruled a suicide” that implies there was an official document or pronouncement ruling it a suicide. A suicide means that it was not accidental. So when people speculate that it is not a suicide, they are implicitly saying that what the author either created this from whole cloth, or completely misinterpreted something. Some people are also apparently concluding the family or authorities or university officals know it was something else but are just saying this to save face. </p>
<p>Sure, the authorities could have made a mistake I suppose, but they could also have made a mistake about the self induced asphyxiation. </p>
<p>Maybe some of these things will turn out to be true, I suppose. But until then this is rampant speculation based on nothing. Since we can’t believe what is written in the article, why even discuss it? Let’s all just make up our own facts. </p>
<p>But the reason I first posted was because one of these message board analysts made the claim that it was only the headline that said it was a suicide and the body of the article didn’t mention it. I assume we can at least now all agree that the line about sucide was both in the article and the headline? Or was it? Good Grief.</p>
<p><a href=“http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-13/news/30150406_1_mit-suicide-prevention-program-college-students[/url]”>http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-13/news/30150406_1_mit-suicide-prevention-program-college-students</a></p>
<p>I assume this reporter is not a kid. And neither is the medical examiner, unless it’s Doogy Howser.</p>
<p>The Boston Globe’s writer has also reported the death as a suicide [Cause</a> of death listed in student suicide - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/11/01/cause_of_death_listed_in_student_suicide/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Massachusetts+news]Cause”>http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/11/01/cause_of_death_listed_in_student_suicide/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Massachusetts+news)</p>
<p>As for the fact that the first article was written in the student paper at MIT, with all due respect, I think that students are well aware of the choking game and autoerotic asphyxiation. Seriously doubt this is news to many young adults.</p>
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<li>edit to add* I think that in some cases the term suicide may be generic for a self-inflicted death. It certainly implies purposeful and intentional, but is it possible (speaking in generalities, not in this specific case) that an accidental death at one’s own hands (accidental suicide) is still a suicide? Would it simply be referred to as an accidental death, as in when someone is playing with a weapon and it accidentally discharges. Since the intent was not death, then perhaps it doesnt meet the definition of suicide.</li>
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<p>A friend of mine had accidental suicide by asphyxiation on his death certificate. Months later, it was revealed as autoerotic asphyxiation - in fact, a newspaper ran with it. It was not a good time for this family.</p>
<p>I am wondering if the term “suicide” is what is throwing everyone off? Webster defines suicide as :</p>
<p>the act or an instance of taking one’s own life voluntarily and intentionally especially by a person of years of discretion and of sound mind </p>
<p>I think that the term “accidental suicide” is an oxymoron. Maybe not everyone agrees?</p>