<p>So, every potential means of offing one’s self should be idiot proofed?? That list will be very long and very expensive.</p>
<p>Did anyone suggest that?
If bridges haven’t been designed with safety in mind, it is relatively easy to add a barrier.</p>
<p>[Cornell</a> Installs Suicide Barriers On Bridges (PHOTOS)](<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>Cornell Installs Suicide Barriers On Bridges (PHOTOS) | HuffPost College)</p>
<p>I guess it does take a law suit for them to think about changes. Not sure if it will stop the suicides but it might stop accidental deaths. That bridge will be very enticing to sit on and watch the scenery.</p>
<p>momof3- I am absolutely not blaming the bridge for any suicides. But YOU are trying to blame the families! It is all tragic no matter how you look at it, but to generalize about families the way you did in your post is completely off base. I have experience with emotional growth programs for teens. There are many families who raised 1 or more kids who are emotionally healthy and stable, and another kid in the same family who has horrible mental health issues. Guess the parents just didn’t listen to that one!</p>
<p>Here’s an article with more background:
[Father</a> Sues Cornell, Ithaca for $180M After Son’s Death | The Cornell Daily Sun](<a href=“http://cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2011/11/25/father-sues-cornell-ithaca-180m-after-sons-death]Father”>http://cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2011/11/25/father-sues-cornell-ithaca-180m-after-sons-death)
No matter what you think of this lawsuit, you can see what it took to get Cornell and the city to make better barriers.</p>
<p>It is important to remember that suicide, the vast majority of the time, is linked to clinical depression or bipolar disease; in fact these diseases have a high lifetime incidence of associated suicide</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.cdc.gov/omhd/amh/factsheets/mental.htm]OMHD|AMH|Factsheets|MentalHealth[/url”>http://www.cdc.gov/omhd/amh/factsheets/mental.htm]OMHD|AMH|Factsheets|MentalHealth[/url</a>]
Suicide as a Public Health Problem -
80 to 90 percent of people who die by suicide are suffering from a diagnosable mental illness</p>
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<p>I get the argument people are making here, but it seems holding a college culpable for having a bridge which is not jump proof could be setting a troubling precedent. What about balconies on apartment buildings, dorms, and high rises? Will the owners of these domiciles be held legally responsible by families of suicide victims who jump off balconies or who fall off them as a result of alcohol or drug intoxication and horsing around? </p>
<p>A student recently jumped off a multilevel parking garage at my husband’s alma mater. Is the school responsible for this? You really can’t suicide proof everything. </p>
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<p>No, but if a college is going to be held responsible financially for the suicide of a student who jumped off a bridge which wasn’t absolutely suicide proof, why should the owner of a high rise with balconies get off the hook? What’s the real difference here? Should balconies be outlawed unless they are literally constructed as a cage?</p>
<p>Thanks for that information, Jennalee. Two of my three teenaged children have serious mental illnesses. Sad to say, but you actually get used to hearing from the doctor about their dark thoughts. It’s horrifying. We’re doing everything we can to help them, but we know there’s a possibility it might not be enough.</p>
<p>Truly ugly. Guess that’s the new American way–one kid gets sick from a peanut and they are banned for everyone else.</p>
<p>"And this:</p>
<p>“This has tarnished the reputation of Cornell as a suicide school.”</p>
<p>It strikes me that if may have enhanced Cornell’s reputation in this grim regard. Possibly you wish to suggest an alternate definition of “tarnish”, Mother of Greatness."</p>
<p>I don’t know about you but I would be hesitant to send my child to a school with a high suicide rate. I would be worried that there was just to much pressure to succeed. I don’t really think that Cornell should sue any more than I believe that the parents need to sue Cornell. </p>
<p>For the record, I don’t think anyone can be the blame for anyones elses death unless they directly caused it. We lost my husband’s best friend to suicide. This friend was to be my dh’s bestman at our wedding. He was in his last semester of graduate school. His girlfriend knew he was having problems but was not aware of the severity. We often morn and wonder if we had been more in touch would we been able to change his mind. Suicide has more than one victim. Unlike death by illness or accident, you always feel guilt for not doing more.</p>
<p>Safety for a bridge is making sure it does not collapse like the one in Minny.</p>
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<p>Wow…just…wow. I thought you were being sarcastic at first, but it seems maybe you are serious?</p>
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<p>How many would have to die in order to justify taking peanuts away from the others?</p>
<p>Excellent post MaineLonghorn. You brought into the discussion what I wanted to say. We also have a son who has a mental illness. He is working very hard to stay on top of it but there is no cure and he is facing a lifetime battle. He is still at home now and on the one hand I want him to go to college but on the other I really worry about that time when he is away from whatever support being at home gives him.</p>
<p>One clue to the lawsuit might be at the end of the article where the father says they didn’t realize their son was struggling with any issues. I would think that the suicide would be even harder if it seemingly came out of the blue.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hear about your son, Pea. He sounds like my oldest, who is home after completing one year of college in another state. He has enrolled in our local school and will live at home. That seems to be the best option for him. He is planning on majoring in applied math and becoming an actuary - that’s supposed to be a lower-stress career than most.</p>
<p>I do feel for that father. Before our middle child came to us at the end of August, we had no idea he was suffering from mental illness. We just thought he was stubborn!</p>
<p>Nrdsb4</p>
<p>I was being sacrastic about the suing part for sure. I don’t blame the parents either but no one knows your kid better than you. The front line of defense is the parents. That is all I am saying. They had the most control over their own child. Was there a missed opportunity to get him help? Maybe or maybe not. I know I personally would be blaming myself. I just don’t believe that a college should be sued for a person committing suicide by jumping off a nearby bridge. Now if we can prove the school was doing something to the kid to trigger this suicide response, than I am all for suing them.</p>
<p>This is an excellent book on suicide and its relationship to mental illness.
The author is a truly gifted writer (so it is easy to read, in spite of the material). Every parent of a depressed child should read it for the insights and material.</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide (9780375701474): Kay Redfield Jamison: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Night-Falls-Fast-Understanding-Suicide/dp/0375701478/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322676988&sr=8-1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Night-Falls-Fast-Understanding-Suicide/dp/0375701478/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322676988&sr=8-1)</p>
<p>Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide by Kay Jamison </p>
<p>“This is a book that helps us to understand the suicidal mind, to recognize and come to the aid of those at risk, and to comprehend the profound effects on those left behind. It is critical reading for parents, educators, and anyone wanting to understand this tragic epidemic.”</p>
<p>Jennalee, I just ordered that book for my Kindle. I read Kay’s other book about mental illness, but I hadn’t seen this one. Thanks! I think it will be difficult to read, but necessary.</p>
<p>that barrier looks ridiculous…destroys the beauty of the bridge…I guess all buildings will have to be 1 story as well…and colleges can’t be near any roads as well as someone might run into the traffic.</p>
<p>Although there was a cluster of suicides at Cornell during the academic year when this young man died, in the long run, Cornell has not had an unusually high suicide rate. The bridges do make suicides more conspicuous, though, and perhaps may invite some spur-of-the-moment suicides that might not have happened in an environment without high places from which to jump.</p>
<p>I’m a Cornell graduate, and so is my daughter. My husband got his doctorate there, too. Although I have recommended Cornell to many people on these boards, I would not recommend it to students who are coping with mental illnesses, and the reasons have nothing to do with bridges and gorges. </p>
<p>Cornell is a large university and, except in its smallest colleges (such as Hotel Administration and Industrial and Labor Relations), a rather impersonal one. Part of this is a function of size, part is a function of having much of the student body living off campus, and part is just Cornell culture. Help of all types is available, but students have to find it; it won’t find them. Cornell can be a good fit and a good experience for students who enjoy and are comfortable with a great deal of independence. For those who need or want a lot of support, it may be better to look elsewhere.</p>
<p>I feel for these grieving parents. Their lawsuit is the result of their pain and anger and however misguided their blame might be they are suffering. The lose of a child makes rational thinking impossible. They need kindness and are looking for answers. Sadly, there are no answers which makes this especially horrible. They are in my prayers.</p>