I understand that parents are concerned for their children, and those who have lost children want explanations - as well as a means of prevention for further losses in the future. However, I do not think that allowing parents access to student medical history is the best answer.
One of the reasons that many students look into counseling at UB is because of that privacy code. There are many who might be intimidated by the fact that Mommy or Daddy could come in and check up at any time. It could cause a drop in the number of students actually seeking help. I think that it is very important that the students at UB feel safe going to the counseling services, should they need the help. The breach of privacy could drive them away, and then there would be more people sitting alone without the professional help they want or need, but are too afraid to access.
If someone wants to commit suicide, they don't go to the counseling center for help. They are the ones who quietly go home, not telling anyone that they are going to go and take a five-story swan dive or suffocate themselves in an empty dorm room.
Allowing parents to access student medical records would simply drive some students who need help away. I agree that it might sound like a good idea to tell the parents if a student is suicidal, but I also think that there has got to be a way to keep a student's privacy intact while finding a way to keep them from killing themselves. I don't have an answer, nor do I pretend to; I only have thoughts on the issue and my experiences.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
