Suicide at UMD college park today

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is in Ellicott Hall which faces the back of the stadium. A student jumped from the top level. I am so shocked and sad for the student and their family.

My daughter suffers from depression and anxiety and this would be my worst nightmare.

Please please get her help. I suffered from depression a few years ago and it is a very dark place. My heart breaks for young people today because when you are depressed you just plain don't tell anyone. I became very good at being two people. The one that smiled all day at work to the one in my car going home and crying all the way. There are alot of pressures that most don't understand unless you are a professional. I stopped all of the meds they had me on because quite frankly in some cases it makes the depression worse and can cause suicidal tendencies. I am praying for the parents and I am praying for everyone's child that they not suffer from pressures anymore, bullies anymore, feeling like they aren't good enough anymore. The only answer truly is putting our faith in God.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for sharing, I had not heard yet.

[Anonymous]

This is really hitting me hard from afar. A high school friend died of suicide in the same manner at UMD college park this week in 1991.

[Anonymous]

My daughter lives in Hagerstown walked passed but thought it was an accident- then started getting all the campus updates. So very sad that this young person thought had no other choice. Praying for the students and the parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is really hitting me hard from afar. A high school friend died of suicide in the same manner at UMD college park this week in 1991.

I am sorry for your loss.

[Anonymous]

Sadly, hours later, no statement from the University. This is really hard on students and staff. Heartbreaking.

[Anonymous]

This literally made me cry. I feel for the person who died, their family and the whole UMD community. My D had a suicide at her school last year and even though she did not know the girl, it was hugely impacting. We cannot underestimate how this affects the other students.

[Anonymous]

I have a daughter at U of MD now who also has anxiety issues. You are right, they do try to provide counseling services, but there is a severe shortage of providers. We need to engage with the university to remedy this problem and now would be an appropriate time as there will be so many students in desperate need of support.

Anonymous wrote:This is horribly sad. My heart goes out to this student who felt they had no other option. I’m a UMD parent and there are so many kids struggling. I wish there was a way for them to band together and support one another rather than suffer alone. I know UMD like most universities tries to provide mental health supports but the fact is there’s a shortage of providers and a student in crisis almost always needs to leave campus for help. What can we do to change things so no student feels so alone? The family must be so devastated. Having a child who has battled suicidal ideation over the last year, my heart just hurts.

[Anonymous]

Invite your kid home this weekend - visit if they do not want to come home. Take them out for comfort food and listen attentively. Any student will need more emotional support after this kind of event. Do not wait for them to reaxh out to you instead reach out to them. Voice calls or Facetime are better than text messages because voice or voice plus video give a better read on how well or poorly the student really is doing.

[Anonymous]

“Yes it's midterms. This is why I always let students submit work, even late, and re-open quizzes for those who don't take them for partial credit. While struggling students won't receive As, they shouldn't be shut out and feel hopeless, no matter how deep their hole is.

Thank you so much for doing that. As a parent, I appreciate what you are doing. To me, it is important for a student to learn even though it might not be an “A” instead of them just give up because they forgot or ran out of time and be stressed and/or have anxiety because they are not given a 2nd chance. My child goes to another university with a professor who refuses to post any of her power points and any answers to solutions because she does not want students who did not go to class to benefit but at the same time she is hurting the ones that are as she is not a good lecturer and her power points are fill-in the blanks with no answers. The class is statistics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is in Ellicott Hall which faces the back of the stadium. A student jumped from the top level. I am so shocked and sad for the student and their family.

My daughter suffers from depression and anxiety and this would be my worst nightmare.

My son is in Ellicott too and his window also faces the stadium Just talked to him. He heard sirens all morning. He’s upset knowing what happened, and feels a bit traumatized that it was right there by their dorm. My heart is broken for the family if this young person. So sad. 😞

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sadly, hours later, no statement from the University. This is really hard on students and staff. Heartbreaking.

They may not have been able to contact the family yet. They may also be making sure they have resources in place to support students as part of the statement.

[Anonymous]

My heart goes out to all who knew and loved this student and all who are impacted by this tragic event, both directly and indirectly. I’m so very sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is in Ellicott Hall which faces the back of the stadium. A student jumped from the top level. I am so shocked and sad for the student and their family.

My daughter suffers from depression and anxiety and this would be my worst nightmare.

Mine does too, and she called me to tell me all about it. I just took the opportunity to stress to her again that if her or any of her friends are struggling to please let somebody know we will always worry about this with our girls.

[Anonymous]

I appreciate that the University has not released any details and has provided counseling resources near the dining hall this evening. I have a daughter who lives in Centreville Hall and I’m staying in close contact with her tonight. We lost my sister to suicide this summer. Neighbors posted inaccurate details about her all over Nextdoor and Reddit even before any of us were notified. It was so awful. I appreciate the respectful tone of this thread and that no one is trying to post any identifying details.