WaPo: Suicidal students are pressured to withdraw from Yale

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does a hospital have to share medical information with a students college?

I was thinking the same thing. Isn’t that a privacy violation?

I understood the hospital to be a Yale medical facility. But still. How is it in the patient’s best interest to shove papers at them and put them on FaceTime with admin or legal university staff? Despicable.

Even so, they wouldn’t be able to share information without patient consent. They may have misled the patient into signing the release forms.

It sounds like they did consent (though not clear they were given sufficient time to think about it.)

[Anonymous]

The reinstatement policy has been relaxed earlier this year.

https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2022/04/05/yale-quietly-relaxes-reinstatement-requirements/

[Anonymous]

This article is so sad and would be regardless of the fact that it is Yale. Princeton has had several suicides in 2022. There was one at my kid's college this week, which I won't name because I don't want to hear the nasty comments that will inevitably posted.

This crisis is heartbreaking and widespread. The schools' first priority should be safety. Sure, that may involve a medical leave but shouldn't always result in withdrawal and certainly not immediately. I have BTDT with a teen with suicidal ideation and that ER trip is hell. The fact that anyone would add to that is horrifying.

[Anonymous]

Students should be able to take an I in their classes, put in an audit class state instead of taking a leave of absence/unenroll.

It should be treated the same way a Stevens in a serious car accident is treated.

You don’t kick them out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does a hospital have to share medical information with a students college?

I was thinking the same thing. Isn’t that a privacy violation?

I understood the hospital to be a Yale medical facility. But still. How is it in the patient’s best interest to shove papers at them and put them on FaceTime with admin or legal university staff? Despicable.

Even so, they wouldn’t be able to share information without patient consent. They may have misled the patient into signing the release forms.

It sounds like they did consent (though not clear they were given sufficient time to think about it.)

The article made it sound like the student had no choice but to give consent. I don’t believe that’s true legally, but I certainly would believe that they misled the student into thinking that.

[Anonymous]

It seems likely they would have been forced to leave (temporarily) if they didn’t consent. I think the difficult reinstatement policy is monstrous (as is the insensitive way they hustle kids off campus) but I think it’s clear they would have to take a leave in any case. If an employee attempted suicide in the workplace clearly they wouldn’t be able to fine to work the next day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s the thing: mental health and the difficulty surrounding medical leave decisions are challenging issues at every school but we expect better at *Yale*. Yale has resources and did not need to be this cruel. They seem to want to get the problems off campus and off their watch so as not to tarnish their reputation. We should expect better at all schools. Every student has a bright future and their life is precious.

But not every student has what it takes to make it at Yale. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure being in a super competitive environment will break some kids. So they shouldn't be there. But it's not like their life is over because they couldn't make it at Yale. They just end up somewhere else after they heal.

You have somehow linked mental health with achievement ability, as if those with mental health issues have them just because they "couldn't handle" the rigor? This is errant reasoning and just betrays your ignorance regarding mental health.

[Anonymous]

My oldest is only 11, but this article reminded me that another critical factor in the college decision process is how well the institution supports its students in all aspects of health. Yale fails. I don’t GAF that it’s Yale - their treatment of students in mental health crises is unconscionable.

[Anonymous]

I wonder how much of this is intended to prevent mentally ill students from shooting up the school. If Seung-Hui Cho had been forced to go on leave, maybe a lot of VT kids would still be alive. “Cruel” policies of forcing the mentally ill to leave serves to protect other students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s the thing: mental health and the difficulty surrounding medical leave decisions are challenging issues at every school but we expect better at *Yale*. Yale has resources and did not need to be this cruel. They seem to want to get the problems off campus and off their watch so as not to tarnish their reputation. We should expect better at all schools. Every student has a bright future and their life is precious.

But not every student has what it takes to make it at Yale. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure being in a super competitive environment will break some kids. So they shouldn't be there. But it's not like their life is over because they couldn't make it at Yale. They just end up somewhere else after they heal.

They’d heal a lot better if they weren’t pushed into signing papers in their hospital beds or given a few short hours to vacate their homes.

It is unbelievable people are defending Yale here, but then again, on reflection it does not surprise me. The full-throated defense is in keeping with the character of the university.

I didn't go to Yale. I did know someone at NYU who attempted suicide. He never even went back to his dorm room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how much of this is intended to prevent mentally ill students from shooting up the school. If Seung-Hui Cho had been forced to go on leave, maybe a lot of VT kids would still be alive. “Cruel” policies of forcing the mentally ill to leave serves to protect other students.

Wow, what a ridiculous leap of “logic”! These justifications are bizarre and go to show how some are so obsessed with the prestige of the college they can’t be rational.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how much of this is intended to prevent mentally ill students from shooting up the school. If Seung-Hui Cho had been forced to go on leave, maybe a lot of VT kids would still be alive. “Cruel” policies of forcing the mentally ill to leave serves to protect other students.

It’s very clear that there is a relationship between violence to others and suicide attempts however the majority of people who harm themselves are not violent to others. I think a better argument can be made for being mindful of the potential trauma for room and dorm mates in the event of a (another) attempt in campus. However, even the many good reasons for wanting students to take a leave don’t justify the way they go about it or the reinstatement policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s the thing: mental health and the difficulty surrounding medical leave decisions are challenging issues at every school but we expect better at *Yale*. Yale has resources and did not need to be this cruel. They seem to want to get the problems off campus and off their watch so as not to tarnish their reputation. We should expect better at all schools. Every student has a bright future and their life is precious.

But not every student has what it takes to make it at Yale. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure being in a super competitive environment will break some kids. So they shouldn't be there. But it's not like their life is over because they couldn't make it at Yale. They just end up somewhere else after they heal.

You have somehow linked mental health with achievement ability, as if those with mental health issues have them just because they "couldn't handle" the rigor? This is errant reasoning and just betrays your ignorance regarding mental health.

Pressure breaks people who have cracks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how much of this is intended to prevent mentally ill students from shooting up the school. If Seung-Hui Cho had been forced to go on leave, maybe a lot of VT kids would still be alive. “Cruel” policies of forcing the mentally ill to leave serves to protect other students.

Maybe. There has to be something in between making a student sign paperwork that they are withdrawing while doing a FaceTime call with a dean in a hospital bed and doing nothing. No one here is suggesting that any university take a hands off approach. What jumped out for me was how awful the process was to get back in once you’re in a better place. At one point Yale was charging an application fee to apply for readmission!?!? WTH?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s the thing: mental health and the difficulty surrounding medical leave decisions are challenging issues at every school but we expect better at *Yale*. Yale has resources and did not need to be this cruel. They seem to want to get the problems off campus and off their watch so as not to tarnish their reputation. We should expect better at all schools. Every student has a bright future and their life is precious.

But not every student has what it takes to make it at Yale. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure being in a super competitive environment will break some kids. So they shouldn't be there. But it's not like their life is over because they couldn't make it at Yale. They just end up somewhere else after they heal.

You have somehow linked mental health with achievement ability, as if those with mental health issues have them just because they "couldn't handle" the rigor? This is errant reasoning and just betrays your ignorance regarding mental health.

Pressure breaks people who have cracks.

So that means we’re all capable of cracking. Thanks for that brilliant insight.