There is a YouTube project: youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject where parents, friends, gay people, have all posted about how no matter how bad it is now, it gets better!

A Rutgers University freshman posted a goodbye message on his Facebook page before jumping to his death after his roommate secretly filmed him during a “sexual encounter” in his dorm room and posted it live on the Internet.

Items belonging to 18-year-old Rutgers student Tyler Clementi were found by the George Washington Bridge last week, according to authorities. Clementi’s freshman ID card and driver’s license were in the wallet.

Clementi’s post on his Facebook page, dated Sept. 22 at 8:42 p.m. read, “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry.”

Clementi’s body has not been recovered, but police have pulled an unidentified male body from the Hudson River just north of the bridge.

Paul Mainardi, the attorney representing the Clementi family, released a statement confirming Clementi’s suicide.

“Tyler was a fine young man, and a distinguished musician. The family is heartbroken beyond words. They respectfully request that they be given time to grieve their great loss and that their privacy at this painful time be respected by all,” Mainardi said.

Two students, Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei, have been charged with two counts each of invasion of privacy after allegedly placing a camera in Clementi’s room and livestreaming the recording online on Sept. 19, according to a written statement by New Jersey’s Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan.

A Twitter page that appears to have been operated by Ravi but has since been taken offline shows messages in which the accused student takes credit for the alleged videotaping of Clementi.

On Sept. 19, Ravi appears to tweet, “Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly’s room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay.”

Ravi faces two additional counts of invasion of privacy for allegedly attempting to use the camera to view and transmit another sexual encounter involving the same student just two days later, said Kaplan.

On Sept. 21 Ravi posted, “Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it’s happening again.”

Clementi’s lawyer said the family is cooperating with the ongoing criminal investigation into Ravi and Wei’s alleged actions.

“The case is being investigated by the Rutgers University Police Department. The students — like all who are accused of a crime — must be presumed innocent until proven guilty,” said Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick in a statement. “The case is also being investigated by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs under the code of student conduct.”

“Rutgers is a community that is extraordinarily proud of its diversity and the respect its members have for one another.”

A Facebook memorial group created in honor of Clementi already has hundreds of members, many of whom are fellow graduates of Ridgewood High School in New Jersey. Clementi had graduated Ridgewood this past spring.

One of Tyler’s friends, Courtney Ayukawa, posted to the group’s wall, “I will always remember everything from our preschool’s Halloween party to your amazing musical talents. When you picked up the violin and began to play, it was as if everything just paused until you put it down again. We will never forget you Tyler. May you rest in peace.”

Strangers have also contributed to the memorial page, one writing simply, “R.I.P from a stranger.”

Michael Zhuang, a friend of Ravi’s for six years, describes the suspect as someone into computer programming and video games.

Zhuang told ABC News he believes Ravi was excited to go to Rutgers and believes the media portrayals of Ravi as possibly homophobic or a serious prankster are not true. “I’m in shock, I didn’t expect this to happen and I am just speechless. He’s normally very nice and I don’t think that this is a representation of him,” said Zhuang. “He’s very very open minded and he, like if it had been a girl in the room it wouldn’t have been any different,” he said.

Jim O’Neill, the public information officer for prosecutor’s office, declined to comment on the case.

Both Wei and Ravi surrendered to police. Wei has been released on her own recognizance and Ravi posted $25,000 bail.

Under New Jersey’s invasion-of-privacy statutes, it is a fourth degree crime to collect or view images depicting nudity or sexual contact involving another individual without that person’s consent, and it is a third degree crime to transmit or distribute such images. The penalty for conviction of a third degree offense can include a prison term of up to five years.

Lawyers for both Wei and Ravi did not respond to messages left by ABC News.

ABC News’ Aaron Katarsky, Shimon Prokupecz and Ayana Harry contributed to this story.

There is a YouTube project: youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject where parents, friends, gay people, have all posted about how no matter how bad it is now, it gets better!

Peace, out!
- Matt

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging young men to open up and not cover up their problems with a campaign which aims to encourage males to speak out about their feelings before things get out of control.

Don’t cover up your problems, the award winning campaign by the PHA, was developed in response to Protect life: a shared vision. The Northern Ireland Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan 2006–2011, which identified young men as a key target group. Recent figures show that 72% of suicides in Northern Ireland were males and suicides among young men aged 16–24 years were more than three times higher than those among young women of the same age.¹

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said: “We know that young men have a tendency to hide how they are feeling and bottle up their problems. That is why they were identified as a key target group in the Northern Ireland Suicide Prevention Strategy.

“This award-winning campaign has been so successful because it carries a vitally important message, encouraging young men who are experiencing mental health problems to seek help by opening up and talking to someone. It is important that we reinforce this message to raise awareness of mental health issues among young men and the rest of the population so that people can get the support they need.”
Deirdre McNamee, Senior Manager for Public Health, PHA, said: “Our mental health influences how we think and feel about ourselves and others and how we interpret and deal with situations and events in our lives. Young men can find it difficult to open up and talk about their feelings for fear of it being seen as a sign of weakness. Instead they often choose to mask how they really feel, so we hope this campaign will encourage young men to talk to someone and get help if they need it, before their situation develops into a crisis.”

This particular campaign received the Mind Mental Health Media Award for Raising Public Awareness, which was awarded to the PHA in recognition of its effort to raise awareness of mental health among young men and encourage a more positive attitude to seeking help for themselves and others. It also helps to address the stigma associated with mental health and young men’s tendency to disguise their feelings.

A recent evaluation of the campaign showed that it had been successful in reaching a large proportion of the key audience, with 82% being aware of the campaign and 52% saying the campaign had prompted them to either think, discuss or take action for their own or someone else’s mental wellbeing. ²

While the campaign is aimed at encouraging young men to open up, it also urges the wider public to be more supportive of men, and encourage them to talk about their mental health. A wide range of organisations throughout Northern Ireland address these issues, one of which, Youth Action Northern Ireland, makes a significant contribution to the lives of young people here and, in particular, does a lot of focused work with young men.

Youth Action is a regional voluntary youth organisation that provides opportunities that unlock the potential of young people.

Michael McKenna, Youth Action Northern Ireland, said: “This campaign gets young men’s issues out into the open. The more exposure these issues get in public the better so that young men feel more comfortable discussing them confidentially with their peers, youth workers and teachers. We need to take the time to encourage young men to explore who they are and the everyday pressures they are facing, and develop ways of coping with these.

“Some forms of masculinity look at men as being strong, brave and courageous. We need to use this in our work with young men as it takes strength, bravery and courage to tell someone about the issues they are experiencing and the PHA’s campaign is one way of getting this message out to young men.”

The campaign will run from 1–31 March 2010, incorporating a mix of television, radio, cinema and online advertising. Leaflets and posters will also be distributed to GP practices and voluntary organisations working with young men as well as a range of mental health organisations. For more information relating to a range of mental health issues visit the campaign website, www.mindingyourhead.info

Despite a fall in the number of registered suicides, young men aged between 15-24 years remain those most likely to kill themselves.

The HPA has launched a campaign aimed at encouraging men to seek help.

Its chief executive, Dr Brian Gaffney, said men are less likely to recognise the signs of mental illness.

“Rather than talk to someone about their concerns, young men are much more likely than women to use alcohol and other drugs in order to cope with worries, which can lead to other problems such as getting into fights, relationship difficulties and trouble with the police,” he said.

The most recent figures show that 72% of suicides were males and suicides among young men in the 15-24 age group were more than three times higher than that of young women of the same age.

He said more than any other group, young men aged 16-24 years feel they have a lack of social support, with almost half (49%) saying they have some, or a severe, lack of social support.

Dr Gaffney said there is often a stigma associated with emotional problems and many people, particularly young men, think it is necessary to deny or disguise how they are really feeling.

“Men have the same reactions to everyday stress and are just as susceptible to many of the same illnesses as women but generally women will seek help and support for their problems, while men tend to bottle things up, which may lead to a crisis,” he said.

“What we are saying through this campaign is don’t cover up your problems, take the first step and talk to someone.”

The campaign, funded by the Department of Health, will run throughout June and includes television, radio and bus advertisements as well as washroom posters and beer mats.

They hope to speak confidentially to men aged between 16 and 34 who have thought seriously about or acted with the intention of suicide, in order to develop care and support programmes for those at risk.

During the interview the men will be asked to talk about issues in their lives that have influenced their thoughts about suicide and the types of help and support that they have used when feeling suicidal.

Around 50 of the 242 people registered in 2007 in Northern Ireland as taking their own lives were men in this age group according to statistics released this month by NISRA.

The research is being conducted in association with QUB.

Heading the Ulster researchers on the project is Professor Hugh McKenna (pictured), Dean of the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, who said: “Talking directly to young men about their experiences means that we will be able to hear about ways of developing care and support that make sense to them. We want to hear from young men who have sought help from services as well as those who have not. It’s important that we learn from their experiences so that the recommendations we develop for policy and practice are realistic and relevant.”

Dr Joanne Jordan, from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at QUB, is leading the study, which is entitled Providing Meaningful Care: Learning from the Experiences of Suicidal Men.

Those who take part will be able to access counselling free of charge with a counsellor accredited by the British and Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and will receive information about support services in their area.

Dr Jordan said: “The rise in suicide in Northern Ireland over the recent past is now a matter of record. In large part this increase has been prompted by a rise in male suicide, particularly among young men. Although the latest statistics suggest that suicide among this group may be beginning to level off from the previous few years, this does not mean that we can afford to be complacent.

“Suicide continues to claim far too many young men’s lives, making it imperative that we learn about the circumstances in which they are led to consider it.”

The Ulster researchers on the project are: Professor Hugh McKenna, Dean of the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, Dr Sinead Keeney, Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Nursing Research, and Mr Iain McGowan, Lecturer in the School of Nursing.

Over the next few months the research will be extended to include the Banbridge and Craigavon areas

Any young men living in the north and west Belfast area who are interested in taking part in the study should contact Iain McGowan on 07894 646690 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              07894 646690      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email menssuicidestudy@ulster.ac.uk for more information.

For further information, please contact:

Press Office, Department of Communication and Development
Tel: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk