NYU Suicides

[Sagiquarius]

Hi all,

I wanted to gauge everone's reaction to this. Within the last year alone there have been SIX suicide deaths at New York University. SIX! Each one of them dies the same way, by throwing themselves from some building or what have you. I don't know how many folks are from the NY area but has anyone heard about this?

The number of deaths is disturbing enough, but the way they all chose to do it makes me think that something is not quite right. I mean six people seemingly not connected to one another all choose to take their own lives in the same exact fashion over a six-month span...short of cult-influenced mass suicides I've never heard of anything like this. And these aren't people you'd expect to be depressed or really unhppy with their lives, these are NYU students. For those who don't know, NYU is one of the most presitigious institutions in NY with a rather stringent admission process.

I don't know, it puzzles me and I find it more than a little disturbing. It makes me wonder what exactly is going on there. Thoughts, comments? Any one ever hear of another situation like this?

[Multiades]

It might be that the method is well-known and each person after the first decided on that particular "out" -- like the gorges in Ithaca.

Seems like a horrifying way to go; I've jumped out of an airplane before, and I don't think there would be anything nice about the ride down.

-Chris

[WeirdBrake]

And these aren't people you'd expect to be depressed or really unhppy with their lives, these are NYU students. For those who don't know, NYU is one of the most presitigious institutions in NY with a rather stringent admission process.

Exactly. Which means the pressure they put on themselves to succeed must be all the more intense. Like those kids in Japan who kill themselves over a bad grade or a failed test because they believe they've let their families down.

[Phoenix]

You beat me to the punch, WB... :)

[winneythepooh7]

Originally posted by WeirdBrake


Exactly. Which means the pressure they put on themselves to succeed must be all the more intense. Like those kids in Japan who kill themselves over a bad grade or a failed test because they believe they've let their families down.

My thoughts too. Just because you are successful and you have money doesn't mean you don't have serious mental health problems. You are just able to hide it better............temporarily.

[jodiejoey]

I have to say that it is a little rare to me that 5 in a year (according to the New York Times) have chosen the same route. Has anyone committed suicide and chosen another way?

In my Highschool..about two steps away from 90210...we had three kids within months commit suicide, but they each chose their way. They were also a lot younger and more naive to the world.

Suicide is extremely personal and difficult to follow through with. I don´t know the pop. of this school, but unless it´s like, well, extremely enormous I´m shocked that you´ve got people "jumpin" this fast, and the same way. I have to agree. Something doesn´t seem right.

I´ll be watching this. Let us know if you find anything out.

Jodie

[wordsmith]

I have read about this, too.

It's certainly no secret, as some have said, that students who excel enough to be admitted to rigorous programs and prestigious institutions probably have a higher incidence of emotional instability. Humans are not really equipped to deal proactively with the kind of intense pressures we often see fit to place upon ourselves, and that kind of drive can so easily turn from healthy motivation to unhealthy mindsets. But the similarities in the chosen method...that IS pretty chilling.

In a little bit of study in suicide, I've read about "copycat" suicides...but they're more prevalent in younger people, and in areas that are socially and economically depressed...teens on a particular U.S. Indian reservation, say, were at one point offing themselves in droves by a common method...it's usually a signifier that when one member of a troubled group finds a "way out," others may see fit to follow suit.

[WeirdBrake]

Humans are not really equipped to deal proactively with the kind of intense pressures we often see fit to place upon ourselves, and that kind of drive can so easily turn from healthy motivation to unhealthy mindsets.


Benwa started a thread on Work called "Are jobs designed to control people?" where he compared job fairs to slave auctions and made a general analogy between the workaholic mindset and slavery. Sometimes I wonder if academic overachievement at the highest levels just means that you're a better trained, more obedient, harder working slave. By the time many of these kids get to these prestigious colleges, they've internalized the "must get good grades, must please my parents, must please my teachers and other authority figures" mentality that got them there. No one is standing over them with a whip. It's self-induced.

Check the thread out. http://www.quarterlifecrisis.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5228

[wordsmith]

It's very much self-slavery. Sad to say, I know it well. Yeah, my boss wants me to do my work. But the standard of achievement is one that I put there. He'd be satisfied w/ less. I'm just not.

[Sagiquarius]

I think slavery might be a strong word. Maybe only because I'm in denial but really no one's forcing us to work. I believe that at the best we're sheep.

You know how many times (referring to the whole rat race) I've thought to myself "this makes no sense"? Think about it, you work for money so you can pay bills and rent so you have a place to live and room on your credit cards to buy more stuff so you have to go back to work to make more money to pay for the stuff you just got so you can get more....it's lunacy. But untill someone finds a better way, I guess this is it.

[WeirdBrake]

Sorta like that commercial about using cocaine.... so I can get more energy.... so I can work harder... so I can make more money.... so I can buy more cocaine....

[Sagiquarius]

Exactly. And I don't know what's sadder the cycle itself, or the fact that we recognize it and continue in it.

[wordsmith]

There are precious few options avaialable to most people, though, outside of just sucking it up and playing the game.

[Multiades]

Originally posted by Sagiquarius
Exactly. And I don't know what's sadder the cycle itself, or the fact that we recognize it and continue in it. Originally posted by wordsmith
There are precious few options avaialable to most people, though, outside of just sucking it up and playing the game. ...until you decide to punch out because you can't take it anymore.

The biggest problem IMO is how hard one has to work just for the BASICS -- food, shelter, health (insurance). In our society, those basic NEEDS virtually require that you work 40hrs a week during 90% of the available daylight. Just to be able to feed yourself and maintain life, you lose almost three quarters of your lifetime's allocation of freedom and sunshine.

Does it really come as a surprise that people choose to commit suicide in order to avoid being enslaved to a job?

-Chris

P.S. I spoke with a favorite professor of mine a while back who was about to retire. He told me a few stories about former collegues who were dead within five years of retirement. Unbelievable how much of one's life is wasted in slavery to a wage, after which one is generally too old to enjoy retirement. :(

[tartytwenty]

75% of the day is gone..I didn't realize it was that much. But it makes sense. IN the winter months, I leave for my job, it's dark in the morning, I leave work, the sun has already set. Wallah, day is absolutely gone.

Doesn't the US have one of the highest working standards? I'm not sure, but I think other countries get more vacation time and work less hours. Minus those few countries in Asia :)

I've always said to myself and others, if I could, I would love to work part time, permanently. I enjoy working, so I don't need to be filthy rich, just make enough part time...get some daylight back. Now there's a lofty idea.

[dazed]

Originally posted by Multiades
It might be that the method is well-known and each person after the first decided on that particular "out" -- like the gorges in Ithaca.


well, i know a little about the true stats in ithaca. cornell supposedly had the highest suicide rate in the country in the 1970s. since it was really easy to say that people were tempted to throw themselves into the gorges, the stats stuck. although all of us on campus used to make humor out of it (not in a mean way)...just saying stuff like "ugh, i can't take this anymore...i'll go throw myself into the gorge," it's a little annoying to hear that the stigma is still there.

WB - you're right on the money about the high-stressed schools. there are probably more people that are depressed at those pressured schools than at not so competitive schools, because they put so much pressure on themselves and if they do horribly just once they feel like their life is over. the perfectionists. sadly, i was one of those.

[Multiades]

Originally posted by dazed
well, i know a little about the true stats in ithaca. cornell supposedly had the highest suicide rate in the country in the 1970s. since it was really easy to say that people were tempted to throw themselves into the gorges, the stats stuck. although all of us on campus used to make humor out of it (not in a mean way)...just saying stuff like "ugh, i can't take this anymore...i'll go throw myself into the gorge," it's a little annoying to hear that the stigma is still there.Maybe it isn't statistically the highest in the country, but I know a few people who go to Cornell, and that method seems to come up when somebody does... I have no idea what the actual rates are.

-Chris