Reply to Princeton has 8 suicides in 3 years

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[quote=Anonymous]I am surprised that no one is seeing the irony here.  This is a story/thread about the tragic loss of bright young lives; there is clear data in the mental health literature that young adults are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress, lack social and emotional supports, are facing challenging job markets and economic uncertainties.  All of these factors have been linked to poor mental health outcomes and increased risk of suicide (so is being young, male, in periods of life transition and a host of other factors).  The posters in this thread are looking to blame a host of factors---these kids must be mentally ill! the universities are not taking care of them! it's grade deflation!--and discounting any suggestion that these kids and young adults are experiencing extraordinary amounts of pressure to achieve.

This forum is filled with parents agonizing over whether Junior should take the SAT a third or fourth time because they have not gotten a perfect score.  Or asking about what classes middle schoolers need to take in order to get into a T20 school.  Or slamming others achievements or school choices--your kid will never get a job or into grad school if they don't go to a T10 school.  Or ridiculing kids for their academic interests--they will be unemployed if they don't get a STEM degree.  Or their grades.  Or piling on when someone doesn't get into a target school--they had no chance with grades like that!

The hyper demanding and hypercompetitive environment of modern parenting and the cruelly hypercritical nattering nabobs of social media is crushing the souls of these young people.  These kids are living in a hell of their parents making and being forced to try to meet unrealistic standards.

Maybe it is time for folks to rethink what they are saying to posters who come asking for guidance or looking for help.  Maybe offer more positive and supportive feedback.  Maybe let your kids know that they have more value than an SAT score.  I don't know.  This whole thread is heartbreaking.[/quote]

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