Cw: suicide
I have deep sympathy for the parents of students who killed themselves at university. But Lord Lucas& #39; proposal that universities should be forced to contact suicidal students& #39; parents is dangerous. Many students are suicidal *because* of their parents.

(cw suicide) There& #39;s also a trend - I saw it in at least one BBC documentary - of parents comforting themselves that they could have prevented it. Well, maybe. Maybe not. Your child was very ill. Comfort yourself with grief counselling, not deluded & dangerous lawmaking.

(cw suicide) This sounds really callous of me. Let& #39;s just say I have faced down the absolute, stomach-turning terror of having to acknowledge that you alone cannot save someone just by trying. I can see why parents wouldn& #39;t want to either. But this is bigger than them.

(cw suicide) The only thing that can absolutely do anything to help suicidal people is proper mental healthcare. I don& #39;t mean university counsellors. I mean decent crisis support, therapy, supported medication, sick pay, social safety nets. For everyone, not just students. (Fin)