[1504] in UA Exec
MIT and student suicide--Sharon Kass
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (infosri@juno.com)
Sun Dec 30 05:48:42 2012
To: allanm@mit.edu, ua-exec@mit.edu, president@mit.edu, debowy@mit.edu
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2012 05:46:59 -0500
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To members of the MIT community:
A different view, below. Thank you.
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Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2012 05:34:51 -0500
Subject: "The Wish to Prevent Suicide and the Post Hoc Fallacy"--Sharon
Kass
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SHORT TAKES--Conservative Opinion by Sharon Kass
The Wish to Prevent Suicide and the Post Hoc Fallacy
Sharon Kass
December 30, 2012
Suicidality is one of those social problems to which people tend to
respond with good intentions but not a lot of intelligence.
A 2011 news story, excerpted below, describes student suicide at MIT:
All suicides are tragedies. But at MIT, where five undergraduates killed
themselves between 1998 and 2001, the issue is especially fraught--and
the tight-knit community is struggling to understand why it has suddenly
lost two young students in two months.
Last week, in response to the suicides, [Chancellor Eric] Grimson
launched a task force to examine all aspects of student life, from mental
health services to living arrangements. The school already offers some
of the nation's most comprehensive counseling programs, which are used by
more than a third of the students. .... Mental health professionals say
no school can fully prevent suicide among students making the delicate
transition into adulthood at a time when many major mental illnesses can
first appear.
"We need to make sure this doesn't happen again," said Allan Miramonti,
the head of the undergraduate student government. "At my own residence
[dorm], I've seen people saying hello and reaching out when they might
not otherwise, checking on their neighbors if they haven't seen them in a
couple of days."
There is at work here the Post Hoc Fallacy--that what preceded,
especially immediately preceded, an undesirable event is what caused that
event.
People at colleges who try to prevent suicide in such ways are like the
proverbial man who looked for his lost car keys under the street lamp
even thought that's not where he dropped them. Looking was easier there.
Suicidality, I believe, is mainly due to the psychological burdens
carried by the person from early in life due to emotional malnurture by
parents. The literature on this is substantial, one example being I.
Jakobsen, et al., "Childhood Anxiety/Withdrawal, Adolescent Parent-Child
Attachment, and Later Risk of Depression and Anxiety Disorder," Journal
of Child & Family Studies, 21.2, 303-310.
I can speak with some personal authority on the subject. When I was
eighteen, after growing up in a home headed by narcissistic parents and
populated by four unhappy and in some way dysfunctional children, and
after being in psychotherapy for five years at that point, I took a lot
of pills, hoping to die. I didn't. It didn't even hurt me (way too
few). Since then, I have learned a lot about myself and about
psychology.
Adolescence and young adulthood are vulnerable times. But the basic
weakness was there long before.
Further, much can be learned from studying the early lives of
career-successful adults who committed suicide. Among these are writers
Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, Hunter S. Thompson,
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and David Foster Wallace; actors George Sanders
and Marilyn Monroe; musicians Phil Ochs and Kurt Cobain; artist Vincent
Van Gogh; ex-model Margaux Hemingway (same family); film director Tony
Scott; explorer Meriwether Lewis; and fashion designer Alexander McQueen.
Psychodynamic/developmental psychology should be part of every teen and
young adult's education, whether in for-credit or noncredit form. The
mind has depths that we can and should understand.
Troubled young people should have adults outside the family that they can
reach out to without fear that they'll be "ruining" their lives if they
do so because of social stigma (on family as well as self) or interrupted
education or career.
Let's keep the focus on where the trouble really is, and not look for the
keys under the street lamp. ///
Sources: Mary Carmichael, "MIT Reexamines Campus Efforts After Two
Suicides," Boston Globe, November 9, 2011. "Secure Parent Attachment
Decreases Depression Risk in Anxious Teens," www.goodtherapy.org, April
20, 2012.
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<DIV>To members of the MIT community:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>A different view, below. Thank you.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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DIV>
<DIV><B>Date:</B> Sun, 30 Dec 2012 05:34:51 -0500</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> "The Wish to Prevent Suicide and the Post Hoc=20
Fallacy"--Sharon Kass</DIV>
<DIV><B>Message-ID:</B> <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:20121230.023456.1560.83798@mailpop16.vgs.untd.com">20121230.=
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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>SHORT TAKES--Conservative Opinion by Sharon Kass</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>The Wish to Prevent Suicide and the <EM>Post Hoc</EM>=20
Fallacy</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Sharon Kass</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>December 30, 2012</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV>Suicidality is one of those social problems to which people tend =
to=20
respond with good intentions but not a lot of intelligence.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>A 2011 news story, excerpted below, describes student =
suicide at=20
MIT:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>All suicides are tragedies. But at MIT, where five=20
undergraduates killed themselves between 1998 and 2001, the issue is =
especially=20
fraught--and the tight-knit community is struggling to understand why it =
has=20
suddenly lost two young students in two months.</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Last week, in response to the suicides, [Chancellor Eric] =
Grimson=20
launched a task force to examine all aspects of student life, from mental =
health=20
services to living arrangements. The school already offers some of =
the=20
nation's most comprehensive counseling programs, which are used by more =
than a=20
third of the students. .... Mental health professionals say no=
=20
school can fully prevent suicide among students making the delicate =
transition=20
into adulthood at a time when many major mental illnesses can first=20
appear.</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>"We need to make sure this doesn't happen again," said Allan=20
Miramonti, the head of the undergraduate student government. "At my =
own=20
residence [dorm], I've seen people saying hello and reaching out when they =
might=20
not otherwise, checking on their neighbors if they haven't seen them in a =
couple=20
of days."</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV>There is at work here the <EM>Post Hoc</EM> Fallacy--that what =
preceded,=20
especially immediately preceded, an undesirable event is what caused that=20
event.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>People at colleges who try to prevent suicide in such ways are like =
the=20
proverbial man who looked for his lost car keys under the street lamp =
even=20
thought that's not where he dropped them. Looking was easier there.</=
DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Suicidality, I believe, is mainly due to the psychological burdens =
carried=20
by the person from early in life due to emotional malnurture by parents.&=
nbsp;=20
The literature on this is substantial, one example being I. Jakobsen, et al=
.,=20
"Childhood Anxiety/Withdrawal, Adolescent Parent-Child Attachment, and =
Later=20
Risk of Depression and Anxiety Disorder," <EM>Journal of Child & Family=
=20
Studies, </EM>21.2, 303-310.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I can speak with some personal authority on the subject. When I =
was=20
eighteen, after growing up in a home headed by narcissistic parents and=20
populated by four unhappy and in some way dysfunctional children, and after=
=20
being in psychotherapy for five years at that point, I took a lot of pills,=
=20
hoping to die. I didn't. It didn't even hurt me (way too few).&=
nbsp;=20
Since then, I have learned a lot about myself and about psychology.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Adolescence and young adulthood are vulnerable times. But the =
basic=20
weakness was there long before.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Further, much can be learned from studying the early lives of=20
career-successful adults who committed suicide. Among these are =
writers=20
Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, Hunter S. Thompson, =
Charlotte=20
Perkins Gilman, and David Foster Wallace; actors George Sanders and Marilyn=
=20
Monroe; musicians Phil Ochs and Kurt Cobain; artist Vincent Van Gogh; ex-=
model=20
Margaux Hemingway (same family); film director Tony Scott; explorer =
Meriwether=20
Lewis; and fashion designer Alexander McQueen.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psychodynamic/developmental psychology should be part of every teen =
and=20
young adult's education, whether in for-credit or noncredit form. The=
mind=20
has depths that we can and should understand.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Troubled young people should have adults outside the family=20
that they can reach out to without fear that they'll be "ruining"=
=20
their lives if they do so because of social stigma (on family as well as=20
self) or interrupted education or career.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Let's keep the focus on where the trouble really is, and not look for =
the=20
keys under the street lamp. ///</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><EM>Sources: Mary Carmichael, "MIT Reexamines Campus Efforts =
After=20
Two Suicides," </EM>Boston Globe, <EM>November 9, 2011. "Secure =
Parent=20
Attachment Decreases Depression Risk in Anxious Teens," <A=20
href=3D"http://www.goodtherapy.org">www.goodtherapy.org</A>, April 20,=20
2012.</EM></DIV><BR><BR><FONT color=3D#000000=20
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