You know, sometimes you hear of something happening, but it's not until it happens to you that you feel the most outraged. What happened to me this weekend I had never heard of before, but I can say that I wasn't the least bit happy. Let me share with you my story of insanity.

Thursday night I had finished up some homework and was sittin back playing some games while waiting for some programs to compile, and getting trady to hit the sack. Suddenly there was a knock on my door, and I was greeted by 2 RA's, the RD of another dorm, and the head of camus ministry. Apparently, there had been some report that last Saturday I had gotten extremely hammered and someone had somehow opened the door to my dorm (ignore the fact I always lock my room at night) and witnessed me trying to hang myself with a necktie. I told them this was absurd... I hadn't drank that night because I had to get up at 4am to catch a train to Chicago to help at a homeless shelter over the weekend, furthermore, I'm not even depressed.

What followed was the most insane night of my life. I was coaxed into going with them to the hospital to "talk to some doctors just for a couple hours to get this cleared up." I was told that I was lying, and then I was approached and told that the people from the college were going to sign me in and it would be better if I admitted myself, because that way I could sign myself out as soon as the doctor saw me, but if they admitted me to the psyche ward involunteerily, I couldn't leave until they said I could (I later discovered this was a lie).

To make a long story short, I missed two days of classes and had my weekend taken away due to this bogus story, and I finally got released today as the doctor noted that there wasn't even a trace of alcohol in my blood, not to mention that from his meetings with me I seemed far from being depressed.

Lots of issues come up from this. It doesnt sit well with me that living on campus will put me in such a position where my freedoms can be taken away because of a "he said/she said" situation with no factual basis. I understand the college's point of view, but these are people who don't know me, it would be different if friends had me admitted (who have thankfully vouched for me saying that I have not showed any problems, not to mention I'm not an alcoholic). I have decided I am definately seeking housing off campus after this incident.

The second is that I feel I should be compensated for damages caused (missed class, restricitons on freedom, having my weekend taken away, and not to mention being labeled as suicidal) and I have been wondering if I have grounds for a lawsuit. My parents are supporting my position (thankfully) and, although the college would not reveal the identity of those claiming I attempted suicide, tomarrow should yield some answers, hopefully.

Sue some ass man! Get some payback!
If only you have grounds to.

Ack, I almost forgot to list all the reasons this is so bogus, and all the holes.

1) I only own 2 neckties, both are at my parents house 20 miles away.

2) If they had seen me attempting suicide, shouldn't they have told someone then and taken me to the hospital rather than tell someone a week later?

3) I didn't drink that night, which my friend who met me to take me to the train the next can verify I wasn't hungover or smelled of alcohol.

4) I'm not depressed. Although I had anger issues not to long ago, those were successfully resoved and did not include self-destructive tendencies in any matter.

Oh, and the big one...
5) My door was locked. I remember unlocking it when I woke up at 4:30am.

Anyways, I'm just feeling very upset about this. I was just released from the psyche ward 3 hours ago, and I must say it was quite the experience. Keeping cool the whole time rather than being angry I believe was a good test on my mental stregnth... I spent my whole time either reading or helping out some of the people who DID need help (like the 17 year old whose 5 friends died 2 mo. ago), the doctors were impressed.

A very strange experience indeed, and sounds like you should get compensated for being put through it, even if you dont think it's affected you much at all.

Sounds pretty ridiculous. I have no idea if you have grounds for a lawsuit, but you definitely have good reason to file any number of complaints with the school administration and/or residential housing offices. You should definitely look into getting compensated somehow (at the very least, get out of the dorms!)

One of the many reasons that living in a dorm sucks! After moving out of the dorms, I found myself amazed that it is even legal to permit such housing conditions. Two (or sometimes more) adults living in an extremely confined quarters about the size of a prison cell, sharing communal bathrooms, paying exorbitant prices for "rent," not being allowed, as a legal adult, to choose to live with a member of the opposite sex, etc. etc. Some universities even *require* you to live in the dorms if you are an undergraduate. And it sounds like they're even getting away with serious accusations of mental instability and compulsory hospitalization... Not good at all. How can they get away with it?

Find a lawyer and another school. A civilized one. What school are you attending? Sounds like some private Christian school. They don't live by real world rules.

I may need to clear up that it wasn't quite the school administration I hold responsible for my confinement, but rather the person(s) responsible for the fabrication of this story. I am seeing some unfortunate problems with the whole thing as it works out, the college may argue that if it doesn't give those reporting the incident a right to confidentiality that future incidents may not get reported.

I think that what has happened amounts to slander though. Even though it is hard for me to fanthom why someone would come up with such a way to cause me trouble (of all the things I can think of, this is something I would have never thought of) is beyond me. I was convinced that it was mistaken identity, but the RD my parents spoke with Friday said that they described my appearence in detail and noted my name on the door.

I think that whoever did this need to realize that, in the real world, doing something like this is considered slander and libel, and I am hoping that, if it is the case I was singled out personally, that if a lawsuit is not possible, at least they will get suspended for the semester for thier idiocy. Heh... this is all still just so confusing!

Who would have guessed, as I was sitting in my dorm playing Metal Slug 3, that I would spend the weekend in a psyche ward?

That explains it. Go to the dean of students and make a complete report of what happened. Let him(her) know that you suspect who turned you in did it out of malice. Let the dean handle it and if nothing satifactory comes of the dean's actions then get your family to contact a very good lawyer. Go to your student paper and see if they won't do an article on your story. Make it as publically known as possible. Don't let it die quietly.

You have to think from another point of view though. Most depressed people don't admit it right away or never admit it. People with real problems don't see themselves of having problems. Some people wouldn't have even probably reported anything like that if they weren't concerned until it was too late.

Be happy someone does apparently care. Even though it was a mistake, at least if you were troubled, someone is watching your back for you.

It sucks you lost 2 days of your life, but being what 20ish, you got plenty more days to look forward to. What if there is that one person that someone did see try to do this to themselves?

If it was me I wouldn't worry about it, I would probably be happy someone out there does care enough to go thru the trouble of reporting someone in that certain situation.

I'm sure there are many people out there with problems, loneliness, depressed, drug of alcohol problems and no one ever tells a soul to see if that person needs help in any way.

This is something you shouldn't be mad about or waste your time in sueing anyone over. Either let it go since your okay or find out who it was so maybe they didn't make a mistake in identity.

It could have been a joke however, but at least it shows your college takes care of these issues and just doesn't let them blow over.

Just my 2 cents..

By the way, RA's have a master key to every dorm room that they are responisble for. Just a thought.

Their position was an ugly one. No matter what they were going to end up looking like fools. If you were a head-case and convinced them you weren't, there you go they're fools. If they were being tricked by some prank monkey, with you the victim, then they are fools. Really, at the first sign something was rotten in Denmark, or more to meddle with the metaphor, someone was sane in Elsinore, they should have leaned on the prankster as equally as they leaned upon you. Maybe they indeed have started to take this tack without mentioning it to you as they need to maintain disclosure as well as need to stop this kind of three-day prank inspired vacation from occuring once again.

Scary still... there are few things more terrifying than the possibility of being locked up, doped up, diagnosed and forgotten.

Cheers,

Finegan

i should be thinking of moving out of university man

Trickykid,
Do you not think that maybe, just maybe, he possibly had several of his civil rights violated?

To tell you the truth, no, not really. There are many people who have their rights violated everyday in much worse scenarios, but is there something being done about it, no, not usually. If it was me personally, would I think something could be done, no, not really. And to tell you the truth, I'd probably be laughing at the whole situation myself, I'm just that type of person. I'd suggest just moving on.

At anytime unless carrja admitted himself, you could have just walked right out of there. Just like you discovered that it was a lie that them saying you couldn't leave but really you could have.

Another 2 cents hits the bottom of the jar....