NYU suicide- Page 2

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 1:19pm

Matt, I just find it interesting that someone who went to college can't understand student suicide and makes comments as off as "Do they teach them that there is nothing more to life than a college course?"

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 1:37pm

pop, i think most people don't understand suicide in general, not just student suicide... regarding this situation, perhaps the schools should make counseling a more visible option... or is there a perceived stigma of asking for help... if i ask for help, is that going to look bad on my records? will my friends look down on me because i can't succeed on my own? or do these students think they have no support system of their own?

i know when i was at university, and was struggling with working nights and going to classes in the morning, if i didn't have my family and friends around me to help me out, i doubt i would have succeeded... it's unfortunate that i didn't finish school for that other reason... lack of funds... Updated On: 2/8/05 at 01:37 PM

Posted: 2/8/05 at 1:51pm

I always felt NYU had a high profile support system, there were always counselors, centers for every problem under the sun and we would just have de-stress days and such where you could go get a massage or something.

Bobst always provided an easy way to commit suicide but only two of them happened there, so its not all on the structure of that building. Theyve fixed the problem there now anyway.

With the intentional suicides, Id say thinking death is easier than solving your problems is a hard thing to overcome even with help. And after the first one, suicide seemed even easier.

Of course atleast two were deemed accidental so that doesnt work as a blanket either.

[Justice]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 2:43pm

When I used to trip, I never once thought of jumping. It must be the weak minds who do. People eho do drugs, and don't realise that the drugs make them hallucinate shouldn't be doing drugs in teh first place.

[shira467]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 6:00pm

I'm sorry, "weak minds"?! I do not think that these people have weak minds at all!

Anyway...

NYU has a really high-profile counseling center. Not only because of the stress of academics, but because a lot of people come out at NYU - the LGBT community is thriving, but I think for some people it can be overwhelming. I know I went to the center last year, and they were very helpful.


" Id say thinking death is easier than solving your problems is a hard thing to overcome even with help."

Mistress, I must agree. While I was never very suicidal, there were many times in my life when I figured it might be easier to die than to figure it all out. Obviously, I made the decision to figure it out, and now everything is fine. But at the time? No amount of therapy, anti-depressants, or chocolate will help. Well, maybe the first two a little, but only if you are willing to get better.

Just a note about the Bobst library - all of the floors above 2 have plexiglass "walls". What used to be railings on stairs are now plexiglassed so no person can jump from it. I believe the floor of the Bobst library was designed to look like spikes (it's very 3-D from up top), and perhaps deter people from jumping - though I'm not sure.

Posted: 2/8/05 at 6:15pm

it was designed that way, on purpose, to look scary and stop you from looking/leaning over. unfortunately if youre jumping with intent to die, I doubt a spike, real or illusion, would actually prevent you from doing it.

[Kimmygonbefamous]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 6:33pm

Gosh, I hope it wasn't another one.

It's kind of mean, but a friend of mine got into NYU last year and this girl was really jealous of her, so she told her that the only reason she got in was to fill the "suicide slots". She said this in front of a girl who knew one of the people who had killed themselves. Her car was mysteriously egged....hmm....

[Plum]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 8:50pm

You know, that would be more insulting if it actually made sense. "Suicide slots?" Wha?

[Kimmygonbefamous]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 8:56pm

This obviously uninformed girl said that applications to NYU had dropped because of the suicides. Obviously not...but I think this particular young lady was a little mad because she got waitlisted. Pity...

[Plum]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 9:05pm

No wonder she was waitlisted. She obviously has no concept of math, either, poor thing.

[EvelynNesbit1906]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 10:23pm

I started to commit suicide once in college (with pills) but my mother called just in time. Despite being surrounded by so many people, I was really lonely at times.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 10:50pm

There is an irony here in New York that natives realize. It's actually a more lonely place than you think. I would never commit suicide but I definitely understand why some do. It does make a lot of sense actually which is why it's a confusing thing.

I did not know that the guy who jumped in Bobst was on drugs. So THAT'S what that facebook group was about that had the picture of a swimmer diving into the library floor.

I do agree that one person's suicide can be a motive for another's. Two of the NYU suicides I know happened just a few days apart.

In the words of Meat Loaf: "Life is a lemon and I want my money back."

[harris007]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:30pm

It freaks me out when i see stuff like this, one of my best friends is going their right now. i warned her that nyc has high suicide rate. Not that she would do something like that, but i did tell her nyc is a lonely place. and that she could call me day or night if she need someone to talk to.

[Plum]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:31pm

I wonder if NYU has an unusual number of students coming from non-urban environments. Maybe the transition is really hard on them.

[harris007]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:34pm

I know my friend is from a small town, been wondering how she would make the jump

[feinstein9]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:37pm

if you're trying to be punny...

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:51pm

When they guy from the Times interviewed me after witnessing the suicide back in Sept he asked me if I knew a reason why someone would kill themselves on a warm sunny morning when the semester hadn't even started yet. I could not give him a good reason at all. Updated On: 2/8/05 at 11:51 PM

[Plum]

Posted: 2/9/05 at 12:08am

Seems simple to me. If the very thought of going through another semester sends you to despair, that's the perfect time.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 2/9/05 at 12:11am

"I know my friend is from a small town, been wondering how she would make the jump"

HAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!

It help to find the humor in everything. I, being the king of unPC humor. PM me if you want some really awful jokes. I have them all.
Updated On: 2/9/05 at 12:11 AM

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 2/9/05 at 12:42am

By the way folks, if you're still interested in what Bronx saw last night...I found a small blurb about it in the paper this morning.
It was indeed a suicide jumper, but it was a guy from a neighboring apartment building. He was young (I think the paper said 22) but he was not in school at NYU, or any school for that matter.

[EvelynNesbit1906]

Posted: 2/9/05 at 3:21am

It can also be difficult for people to maintain their grip on the better truths about their lives. So for what it's forth, I should say that I had quite a few friends then but simply immersed myself in my work to the extent that I forgot how available they were. Sometimes I'm tempted to start a journal again just to remind myself of the disconnect between reality and the illusions that develop when ruminating late at night (esp. that there's "no one to talk to" when I was, in fact, talking to someone about there being no one to talk to!).

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/9/05 at 1:11pm

Exactly. One of my best friends that used to go to NYU swears that it's because of all the pressure NYU exudes on it's students, but I don't know how true that is - she had a really terrible experience there. As far as the rumour of one of the people jumping on shrooms, I seriously doubt that that's true. I know many people at NYU and were either there, knew him, or knew someone and they all said everything was fine right before, and it was rather out of the blue. They also dismiss any rumor that he was on drugs, so that sounds a little bit like a myth. And that library DOES scare the sh!t out of me.

[Plum]

Posted: 2/9/05 at 1:18pm

That library is a seriously misguided piece of architecture. If it were a prison I'd give it 2 thumbs up, but who in their right mind would find that an inviting place to study for finals?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/9/05 at 1:39pm

It looks like it was removed from some dundgeon in England and transported to NY for a library. NYU/prison, kind of the same, no?

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 2/9/05 at 5:08pm

NYU is not a prison and I don't think there is any extra pressure put on NYU students. I have atteneded one other college too and I don't think it's unusually hard. I think it's just because there are a lot of students here and a lot of stuff happening that can wrap people too tight.