The Journal

Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: News

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Emily Garegnani seemed to have it all. She was a good student who received great grades. She had a loving family and a boyfriend who was crazy about her. She had transferred a year ago from community college as a public relations major but had already made a close group of friends at Webster. She had signed up for classes in the fall, where she would have been entering into her senior year.

But on July 12, she hanged herself.

One of Emily's close friends at Webster, senior public relations major Lauren Gallagher, said Emily loved to laugh and seemed very content.

"From all outward appearances she was extremely happy," Gallagher said. "She had a great boyfriend, good grades; she was very hardworking."

Emily had bipolar disorder. The National Institute of Mental Health defines bipolar disorder as a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy and ability to function. Though she suffered from this disorder, Emily's life was going well before she died, said her mother Julia Garegnani.

"Everything looked very perfect," said Julia Garegnani. "The therapist told us she probably decided to go out on top."

Emily's mother said this was the hardest part of understanding why she would end her life.

"I've been looking since July to see if she had a second life we didn't know about," Julia Garegnani said. "She killed herself and I feel like I dropped the ball."

Feelings of doubt, regret and pain often linger for years among the family members and friends of suicide victims. Suicide is now the third leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 24, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 160,000 people in that demographic received emergency treatment for self-inflicted injuries in 2004.

While suicide remains relatively uncommon at Webster University, Emily's death continues to serve as a grim reminder of the importance of suicide education and awareness.

BASS awareness

Some faculty and staff say more could be done at Webster to raise awareness. Evelyn Buday, co-adviser for the Behavioral and Social Sciences Club and a psychology professor at Webster, said the campus is not a place where suicide is talked about and that people should start raising awareness for the issue.

Continued...

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