21 years old. Date-raped at famous central state university two years ago and never dealth with it. Had just begun the process. Used a gun; highly unusual for a female. Gave no signs to my colleague. So hard on our young office staff - had to send one of them home this morning when the call came. And after all, unlike us, why should they have to develop that tough outer skin.

Over the years, I've only lost one and it was three years after he'd stopped coming. Pronounced himself well, whatever that means. Two years later he returned to drinking and one year later he was dead. Left his wife and 11-year-old daughter standing with the cops who were trying to talk him down. Spent months picking up the pieces with them. What a sad waste.

Did you know: Suicide rates in the US have remained steady for the past 50 years and that more than 28,000 Americans kill themselves each year.

To put suicide rates in perspective, from 1979 to 1999, more than 448,000 Americans died of AIDS or HIV-related illnesses while, during the same period, more than 626,225 people killed themselves, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). More than three times the number of Americans committed suicide from 1964 to 1973 than were killed in the Vietnam War during the same period. There have been many suicides among our troops in Iraq. So hard to watch this happening to our healthy young people - our next generation.