Students: Signs of Suicide

The high rate of suicide among college students has long been recognized as one of the more ominous statistics of higher education. Last week Harvard Psychiatrist Mathew Ross reported that the college-age group runs a 50% higher suicidal risk than nonstudents in a similar age group, and he scolded the American College of Physicians at its meeting in Boston for not doing more to prevent such deaths. Individuals contemplating suicide normally signal their intention, he said, and doctors must be alert to the message. The most common clues:

> A "posture of depression"...