I get a call this morning...

[one_voice]

from the University of Delaware-my son is a student there. There's been a shooting--fear--a young man tried to kill himself with a gun shot to the chest--sadness & relief.

He's in fair condition--hopefully he'll get a second chance. He is 20 years old. My son's age.

I'm very sad and angry about this. What kind of world have we created that so many of the next generation are seeing suicide as the only way? The papers/news are loaded with stories of our young folks doing this, for various reasons. I know suicide has always been "around" but it does seem more prevalent now.

It's not just our young people, it's whole families being "wiped" out through suicide. How have we let people get so desperate that they see this as their only option. How have we gotten so callous that we look past these things.

Then there are our vets, the people brave enough to volunteer to put their lives second to ours. Yesterday, Jim DeMint voted against a bill that would have helped get our returning vets jobs. WTF?!

There's a major disconnect somewhere. This shouldn't be like a survivor series, we as humans, are a community. Somewhere along the way we lost that.

I will keep this young man and his family in my prayers, and hope they all are able to get through this and receive whatever help they may need.

[EFerrari]

1. A lot of serious mental health situations kick in in late teens

and early 20s. That's a window of vulnerability for a lot of young people.

[lunatica]

2. I totally agree with you

There is a lot of despair in our country. Anyone prone to depression can't hope to deal with a hopeless future. And the future really looks hopeless right now.

[backtoblue]

3. I wish this young man the best

Very sad to see young people so distraught that they feel they have no better option than suicide.

Sending a silent prayer to him and his family...

[BanzaiBonnie]

4. I read here the other day that 18 vets a day, every day

are committing suicide. Or attempting to commit suicide.

[Downwinder]

5. A world where you and not your son are Occupying.

Think of the stories he will tell your grandchildren.

Well I missed the Occupy movement because I was in college, but Gramps was out there with the best of them.

[woodsprite]

6. I had just dropped my daughter off near Morris library

When I received that call. I was wondering if it had anything to
with alumni/homecoming weekend and maybe not being able to
find a job in his area and/or school loans. They said he was a Newark resident.
It's terribly sad.

[one_voice]

7. My son said it was..

crazy on campus.

He's 20 but graduated in '08...he must have been very intelligent..maybe being so far ahead had something to do with it.

I like the UD makes the calls...we got one not long ago about some robberies that were happening...

[woodsprite]

9. My daughter doesn't live on campus

but commutes with us when we go to work every day. We're about a 5-10 min. drive away from campus. Between the 3 of us, we received 2 messages at work, 3 calls on cell phones, and 3 email messages this morning about the incident. They had been good at getting info out for years now to students, staff and faculty, but really stepped up efforts after the Virginia Tech shooting, especially to get info out to parents and guardians.

Is your son involved with the campus Democrats group? My daughter had signed up but has had a hard time making some of their meeting times due to her schedule. I'm hoping she can get more involved with them next semester. Being a commuter student, it isn't as easy to get involved with campus life, new friends, etc.

[one_voice]

10. My son doesn't live on campus either...

he commutes. We're about 15 mins away..off 896 in the opposite direction.

He hasn't signed up..but he might be interested, he's become very interested in politics. He works as an intern for WSFS so that doesn't leave much time for him either. He's made a few friends, and he occasionally sees friends he went to high school with, but says the same thing. It's difficult, many activities don't think about the kids that commute.

My daughter lived on campus for 2 years, she was a RA one of those years. She enjoyed for the 1st year, but couldn't wait for the second to end and move back home.

[seabeyond]

8. it is certainly a balance from not overstressing the kids, to having high expectations,

total acceptance, appreciation and value, and tough

all at the same time

i hear ya.

it makes a parent want to do a health check on child

[easttexaslefty]

11. Suicide.

The reluctant road that survivors must travel is truly daunting.
Please know that research from the American foundation for suicide prevention believe that 90% of "completed" suicides have a mental illness. ( either diagnosed or not) This can be depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc.
However some cases are pure impulse. A cascade of bad luck, bad choices, or both.
I do believe we talk about suicide more. Which is, in most cases, a good thing.
If we "normalize" frank discussions of such matters we take the shame factor out of discussions of depression and mental health issues in general.
I am glad this child survived. I fervently hope he gets the help he needs.

[Liberal_in_LA]

12. kick