April 18, 2007

Are students deadly - or depressed?

Dr. Robert Frank, executive vice dean for Wayne State University's School of Medicine, was interviewed in a followup story to the Virginia Tech shootings focusing on the differences between students who are depressed or deadly, and the responsibility of universities in taking action. According to Frank, universities are still trying to separate students who are potential killers from students who are merely depressed. School officials have to be very careful when deciding to take action. Therapists are bound by patient confidentiality rules. However, they are obligated to report imminent threats. "Everyone would err on the side of breaking confidentiality if we think there is a credible threat. We ask the question: Can your keeping this confidence be potentially harmful to the student or harmful to students around the student?" Frank said. "We have a lot of families who entrust us to have their children, even though they're adult children."

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