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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPeter Cronkite, Grandson of Walter Cronkite, Dead of Suicide at 22
Source: Gawker
Peter Cronkite, the 22-year-old grandson of the late, great TV newsman Walter Cronkite, was found dead in a dorm building at his college over the weekend. He took his own life.
Colby College, the Waterville, Maine, liberal arts school where Cronkite was majoring in classical civilization and minoring in cinema studies, announced his death in a public letter Monday.
It is with deep sadness that I write to report that Peter Cronkite 15 took his own life this weekend, college president David A. Greene wrote. Peters death is devastating to his family, his many friends, and the entire Colby community. Our hearts are heavy as we try to come to terms with this tremendous loss.
Greene described Cronkite, who would have graduated next month, as popular, intelligent, and engaged in both academics and athletics.
Read more: http://gawker.com/peter-cronkite-grandson-of-walter-cronkite-dead-at-22-1701068903
Obituary: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?pid=174732851
Journeyman
(15,031 posts)sad to say.
shenmue
(38,506 posts)Terra Alta
(5,158 posts)Tom_Foolery
(4,691 posts)CTyankee
(63,903 posts)It is such a tragedy...but he must have had devils in his mind...so many wonderful people have those devils...I know a friend of mine did but she did get help in time...
My sincere condolences to his family. I can't imagine what they are going through now...
KansDem
(28,498 posts)'''popular, intelligent, and engaged in both academics and athletics."
I'll never understand this. When I was a senior in high school, a classmate committed suicide just a few months before graduating. I didn't know him but we attended the same junior high as well as high school. I remember he played drums and performed a solo at our ninth-grade annual talent show.
That was 1971 and I thought at the time, "Why now? Why not wait a couple years or decades. Give life a chance." I mean, you graduate high school and there's a whole world of opportunities waiting for you; a whole lot of paths to take. There's college or voc-tech school; or working a full-time job while you're deciding what to do. You can get out on your own with an apartment. Or you might meet that "special someone" with the same wisdom gleaned from the same experiences you had. Give it a chance!
I just didn't understand it...
tavernier
(12,377 posts)I loved his granddad, and my prayers go with his family. Such a painful time.
Initech
(100,063 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)mahatmakanejeeves
(57,393 posts)I'm not posting this for the publicity, but because I haven't posted the links to the many suicide prevention hotlines in two weeks.
Student Commits Suicide - Suicide Prevention Hotline Links, Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255
Hat tip, ARLnow.com: Morning Notes News by ARLnow.com April 14, 2015 at 8:55 am
Notice to the Community
Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler sent the following message to the campus community April 13, 2015 - Ed.
Dear William & Mary Community,
There is no message worse than the one I share with you today. With profound sadness, I am writing to tell you of the death of one of our students, {P. S.}, a sophomore from Arlington, Va., who took his own life in the early morning hours today. The WMPD responded immediately after receiving a 911 call from one of his friends.
In 2013 {P. S.} graduated first in his class from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, VA. A talented student, he had yet to declare a major at W&M. {P. S.} was also a passionate performer. In January he played one of the swashbucklers in Sinfonicron Light Opera Company's The Pirates of Penzance, and he was to have performed this month in the premiere of a new W&M student-written, faculty-directed play. Many on campus have delighted in {P. S.'s} talent and wit, enjoying especially his comedic flair as a member of the university's Improvisational Theater (I.T.).
....
TAKING CARE OF OURSELVES AND OUR COMMUNITY
This has been a difficult and painful year for the William & Mary family and many of us are grieving. I hope the following might be useful in the days and months ahead. Especially in the wake of the deaths that have affected our community, I want to share some information specifically about suicide and suicide prevention.
About Suicide
According to national resources such as the Jed Foundation and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), one in ten college students has at one time considered suicide, and suicide is the third leading cause of death nationally among those 15-24 years of age. Almost all who die by suicide are suffering from an emotional disorder, most commonly depression. As the AFSP notes, "90% of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death." Therefore, identifying and treating these illnesses is especially important; someone with an untreated emotional disorder may be more likely to attempt suicide in the wake of stressful life events.
Recognizing Warning Signs
The most effective way to help in preventing suicide is to recognize warning signs, take those signs seriously, and respond appropriately. Fortunately, people who are suicidal CAN be helped with the proper treatment. Common warning signs of suicide include:
Hopelessness
Rage, uncontrolled anger or seeking revenge
Acting recklessly or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking
Feeling trapped, like there is no way out
Increased alcohol or drug use
Withdrawing from friends, family, and society
Anxiety, agitation, inability to sleep or sleeping all the time
Dramatic mood changes
Expressing no reason for living or no purpose in life
Inability to see the future without pain
Inability to make decisions or think clearly
Decision to stop taking prescribed medication for depression or other psychological disorder
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
How To Respond if You are Concerned About Someone
DO Listen and offer support in a non-judgmental way
DO Help the person explore feelings
DO Widen options and explore alternatives for problem solving
DO Ask direct questions about the person's intentions; ask if the person is considering suicide
DO Communicate your concern for the person's well being
DO Recommend that the person contact a mental health professional
DO Call a professional yourself and offer to accompany the person to an initial appointment
DO Call the police if you believe the risk of suicide is immediate
DON'T say "everything will be alright"
DON'T dare the person to "do it"
DON'T tell the person about someone who "has it worse"
DON'T promise secrecy to the suicidal person
DON'T leave the person alone if you believe the risk of suicide is imminent
From July: Need help? In the U.S. or Canada, call 1-800-273-8255
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Ayuda en Español
¿Qué pasa cuando llamo?
Cuando usted llama al número 1-888-628-9454, su llamada se dirige al centro de ayuda de nuestra red disponible más cercano. Tenemos actualmente 150 centros en la red y usted hablará probablemente con uno situado en su zona. Cada centro funciona en forma independiente y tiene su propio personal calificado.
Veterans Crisis Line
Young Adults
ETA this comment to the article at Gawker:
Mississippi Tea Party Leader Commits Suicide After Conspiracy Arrest
jtstillwater {responding to Allie Jones}
Yesterday 12:18pm
Before anyone jokes about this guy's suicide, I should say that whenever someone with a mental illness (hi!) reads about a suicide, there's a certain amount of fear the thought process is sort of like, "Well I always tell myself I wouldn't do it, but clearly some people do, so what's saying that won't change?"
No question he did something awful, no question his political beliefs are unreasonable. But suicide is a horror.
Suicide prevention hotline: 1-800-273-8255
And, yes, I do find this scary.
April really is the cruelest month (if I am not mistaken):
The Season of Renewal and Suicide
Why are people more likely to kill themselves in springtime than during the holidays?
By Brian Palmer
The suicide rate does not peak during the holidays, and the media should stop saying it does, according to a report released Tuesday by the Annenberg Public Policy Center. In fact, the suicide rate is highest in spring and summer. The holiday suicide-spike myth persists because it has a convenient narrative: Lonely people become despondent around Christmastime. So why do people kill themselves in the spring?
Possibly because they interact more. Doctors first observed in the 1820s that suicide rates spike during late spring. Researchers have since postulated and tested all sorts of explanations for the global phenomenon, making this one of the most studied questions in psychiatry. Theres still no consensus, but evidence suggests it has to do with so-called sociodemographic factors. During the winter, many people go into semihibernation: They work less, see fewer people, and are exposed to less frustration and conflict. That all changes in the spring, when increased interaction with others and the stress of work may trigger suicidal thoughts. The theory is based on a couple of observations. First, the spring suicide peak is more pronounced among people employed on farms or in factories who experience greater seasonal variation in the intensity of work and social interactions. In addition, developing countries with a higher proportion of agricultural workers see more seasonal change in the suicide rate than do developed countries. The magnitude of seasonal changes in the suicide rate is more than 10 times higher in Uruguay, for example, than in Belgium. Researchers have also detected a smoothing out of the seasonal variation in suicides in recent decades as more people move from farm to office. (There are smaller peaks in other parts of the year. Cubicle workers are more likely to commit suicide in the fall than in the spring, as are mothers who send their children off to school in September.)
In Britain: Male suicide rates: 'My father left and took his own life'
....
Are you affected by this?
Samaritans provides emotional support, 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or thoughts of suicide
Its number is 08457 90 90 90
Rethink Mental Illness has more than 200 mental health services and 150 support groups across England.
Its number is 0300 5000 927
List of suicide crisis lines