http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/02/06/120206fa_fact_parker

It became widely understood that a closeted student at Rutgers had committed suicide after video of him having sex with a man was secretly shot and posted online. In fact, there was no posting, no observed sex, and no closet. But last spring, shortly before Molly Wei made a deal with prosecutors, Ravi was indicted on charges of invasion of privacy (sex crimes), bias intimidation (hate crimes), witness tampering, and evidence tampering. Bias intimidation is a sentence-booster that attaches itself to an underlying crime—usually, a violent one. Here the allegation, linked to snooping, is either that Ravi intended to harass Clementi because he was gay or that Clementi felt he’d been harassed for being gay. Ravi is not charged in connection with Clementi’s death, but he faces a possible sentence of ten years in jail. As he sat in the courtroom, his chin propped awkwardly on his fist, his predicament could be seen either as a state’s admirably muscular response to the abusive treatment of a vulnerable young man or as an attempt to criminalize teen-age odiousness by using statutes aimed at people more easily recognizable as hate-mongers and perverts.

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/02/06/120206fa_fact_parker#ixzz1kyMzsfa7

1 In 5 U.S. Adults Had Mental Illness Last Year

Researchers gained some insight into suicide and thoughts of suicide through the report. They found that about 8.7 million Americans contemplated suicide in the last year, while 2.5 million people actually made plans to commit suicide and 1.1 million people attempted suicide.

In addition, 8 percent of teens between ages 12 and 17 reported that they had had a major depressive episode over the last year, according to the report.

That is a lot of depressed people.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/mental-illness-united-states_n_1216575.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k10MH_Findings/

Sinead O'Connor Recovering From Suicide Attempt, Pleads For Help On Twitter

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/12/sinead-oconnor-pleads-for-psychiatric-help-on-twitter--suicide-attempt_n_1201626.html



..The 45-year-old, recently made waves after announcing she and husband of 18-days, Irish therapist Barry Herridge were splitting up, only to announce days later they were reuniting. The singer, who suffers from bipolar disorder had attempted suicide on her 33rd birthday in 1999.

...after being treated in an Irish hospital for a broken ankle she nearly tried to kill herself again just two days later, and said of her pleas on Twitter, "I just had to make a cry for help."

On Jan. 11, the singer claimed she was in "serious danger" without her medication, and pleaded with her Twitter followers to help her find a psychiatrist in Dublin.

300 Chinese Foxconn Workers 'Threaten Mass Suicide' At XBox Plant

Around 300 Chinese workers who manufacture XBox consoles took to a factory roof and threatened bosses with mass suicide over a dispute about pay, unconfirmed reports have claimed.

The workers were employed at the Foxconn Technology Park in Wuhan in Hubei province. Foxconn is an independent, global manufacturing partner to companies including Apple, Microsoft and Sony.

Microsoft said on Wednesday that it is investigating the incident.

I suppose it really could get this bad