Possible Suicide Attempt on University of Alberta Campus

[CaptainYooh]

I've just heard that the UofA has been evacuated earlier this afternoon due to a carbon monoxide leak threat that turned out to being an apparent suicide attempt by a student. Not sure about other details yet. My God, what could be so terrible in kid's life to want to end his/her life this way?...

[Locke]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

I've just heard that the UofA has been evacuated earlier this afternoon due to a carbon monoxide leak threat that turned out to being an apparent suicide attempt by a student. Not sure about other details yet. My God, what could be so terrible in kid's life to want to end his/her life this way?...

Hmmm......Edmonton?

[DoubleF]

Stress?

If it makes you feel any better, I hear carbon monoxide is one of the more peaceful ways to go.

Sucks though. =/ Never a happy day to read news like this.

[Chill Cosby]

Originally Posted by Locke

Hmmm......Edmonton?

[Locke]

I apologize for my glib remark about Edmonton being worth killing yourself over but I dont think you can 'hotbox' a classroom with Carbon Monoxide in order to kill yourself.

There is likely something else going on.

[troutman]

The mental health crisis on campus

Canadian students feel hopeless, depressed, even suicidal

http://www.macleans.ca/education/uni...sis-on-campus/

One need only to look at the results of a 2011 survey of 1,600 University of Alberta students to know something is very wrong. About 51 per cent reported that, within the past 12 months, they’d “felt things were hopeless.” Over half felt “overwhelming anxiety.” A shocking seven per cent admitted they’d “seriously considered suicide,” and about one per cent had attempted it. These problems aren’t unique to U of A. “It’s across all of North America,” says Robin Everall, provost fellow for student mental health.

At Queen’s, a final report from the commission is due in October. A discussion paper, delivered in June, offered a range of reasons students are grappling with mental health problems: everything from the stress of moving away from home, to academic demands, social pressures, parents’ expectations, and a looming recognition of the tough job market awaiting them. More students than ever are entering university with a pre-existing diagnosis of mental illness, and there’s less stigma attached to getting help. This partly explains the flood that counsellors are seeing. But there’s something else going on, too. Some wonder if today’s students are having difficulty coping with the rapidly changing world around them, a world where they can’t unplug, can’t relax, and believe they must stay at the top of their class, no matter what.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilt...rvey-1.1200815

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by troutman

The mental health crisis on campus

Canadian students feel hopeless, depressed, even suicidal

http://www.macleans.ca/education/uni...sis-on-campus/

One need only to look at the results of a 2011 survey of 1,600 University of Alberta students to know something is very wrong. About 51 per cent reported that, within the past 12 months, they’d “felt things were hopeless.” Over half felt “overwhelming anxiety.” A shocking seven per cent admitted they’d “seriously considered suicide,” and about one per cent had attempted it. These problems aren’t unique to U of A. “It’s across all of North America,” says Robin Everall, provost fellow for student mental health.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilt...rvey-1.1200815

I'd wager to guess most students feel "hopeless anxiety" right before exams. I know myself and 99% of people knew felt that four times a year at university (Mid-terms and finals, two semesters). So yes, over half of students feeling that way is not entirely surprising to me. Waves of students have felt that for years.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Locke

I dont think you can 'hotbox' a classroom with Carbon Monoxide in order to kill yourself.

Why not? It can happen in a house. It'd be easy enough to do in a classroom or lab.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I'd wager to guess most students feel "hopeless anxiety" right before exams. I know myself and 99% of people knew felt that four times a year at university (Mid-terms and finals, two semesters). So yes, over half of students feeling that way is not entirely surprising to me. Waves of students have felt that for years.

20 years later I still have dreams about not being prepared for exams.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...nal-exam-dream

[V]

I was at the U of A at 2:00 and there was no sign of an evacuation. Was probably localized to a certain area on campus.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

I've just heard that the UofA has been evacuated earlier this afternoon due to a carbon monoxide leak threat that turned out to being an apparent suicide attempt by a student. Not sure about other details yet. My God, what could be so terrible in kid's life to want to end his/her life this way?...

Midterms.... exactly 10 years ago, almost to this day, guy I lived with when I was at UofA committed suicide..... I didn't really know the guy, but from people closer to him, I guess midterms got to him.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I'd wager to guess most students feel "hopeless anxiety" right before exams. I know myself and 99% of people knew felt that four times a year at university (Mid-terms and finals, two semesters). So yes, over half of students feeling that way is not entirely surprising to me. Waves of students have felt that for years.

I still frequently have nightmares of midterms and finals, had one last week that I forgot to drop a class and didn't find out until the day before the final exam.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

Why not? It can happen in a house. It'd be easy enough to do in a classroom or lab.

Houses are not commercial environments like classrooms are. They dont tend to have really high ceilings and commercial ventilation.

Classrooms are designed to ensure things like this dont happen.

[Rathji]

Mid terms were the worst. Not only do you have a huge workload but on top of that you have to write a bunch of exams. At least for finals you would only have to worry about the exam.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Locke

Classrooms are designed to ensure things like this dont happen.

Considering Edmonton's architecture is stuck in the 80's, I assume the ventilation is too.

Without details of location it's impossible to say one way or the other, but it'd be pretty easy to seal positive pressure in a smaller classroom. And if it was enough to make CO detectors go off, the person in question could have been a lot closer to the source. Not saying it could have been successful, but not too far fetched IMO.

[tvp2003]

Aren't there stories of people in China (Japan?) committing suicide by literally jumping out of classroom windows because of the pressure/stress?

[midniteowl]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

I still frequently have nightmares of midterms and finals, had one last week that I forgot to drop a class and didn't find out until the day before the final exam.

That is exactly the kind of nightmares I have often, or the a week before midterm that I realized I haven't done anything in the course, didn't attend classes or any assignment, project, etc. Scary!

[stazzy33]

I believe something similar happened there a couple years back while I was at U of A in the HUB mall residence. Foreign student committed suicide by combining a bunch of chemicals (think bleach and ammonia) and they had to evacuate the whole building. I will look and see if I can find the story.

I think this is the story from 2010: http://www.macleans.ca/education/uni...ical-released/

I believe it's a fairly common suicide method in Japan, but can't remember exactly.

[stazzy33]

Looks like it might be the same thing again: http://globalnews.ca/news/1637988/ed...crews-respond/

[V]

Was just checking my U of A email, and looks like HUB mall was closed at quarter to one. Must have opened up again not too long after.

For context, HUB mall doesn't have any classrooms, just residences and some shops. So this was probably someone in their apartment.