The family of a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology student who committed suicide two years ago filed a wrongful-death civil action suit yesterday against the school and several administrators and employees for neglecting the student’s poor mental health.
Elizabeth Shin, 19, was a sophomore when she lit herself on fire in her Random Hall dormitory room in April 2000.
The suit, filed by Shin’s parents, accuses the school with breaching its “promise” to provide an appropriate medical diagnosis and treatment of Shin, as well as reasonable security, emergency services and level of care.
Shin’s parents say their daughter’s death, the 10th of 12 suicides committed by MIT students since 1990, was foreseeable by the school’s Administrators and its Mental Health Services employees. The suit claims the university was culpable for “failing to provide reasonable medical/mental health services.”
David A. DeLuca, the attorney for the Shin family, said information obtained through records from MIT, campus police and other offices clearly showed evidence of Shin’s imminent danger to herself.
Medical health professionals in the state of Massachusetts are legally and ethically bound to respect patient confidentiality, but if it appears that a student is in immediate harm to herself or others, they would break confidentiality, said Dr. Leah Fygetakis, a psychologist at the Boston University Counseling Center.
“It depends largely on the situation, but if the student is in imminent danger, with clearly ‘suicidal’ thoughts, their life and safety is paramount,” Fygetakis said.
The specific medical professionals named in the suit “had their fingerprints all over this case,” DeLuca said. “They didn’t recognize, or chose not to recognize, that action should be taken.”
“This message does resonate among all university officials and students,” DeLuca said. “If you’re going to hurt yourself or someone else, action — aggressive, forceful action — must be taken to eliminate or prohibit such an occurrence.”
The suit cites numerous instances in which Shin allegedly visited or spoke with mental health professionals, students and administrators, expressing “suicidal intentions” and exhibiting depression-related symptoms in addition to evidence of self-mutilation a year prior to her suicide.
The suit also criticizes MIT’s argument that it was obligated by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 to maintain Shin’s confidentiality, stating MIT medical professionals ineffectively used the FERPA, “resulting in the catastrophic injury and death by suicide of Elizabeth Shin.”
“Someone should have taken action by either making a phone call to her parents or next of kin or someone who might help her. Sitting on your hands won’t do anything,” DeLuca said.
“It is quite clear Elizabeth was coming in with specific thoughts, and more particularly, threats,” DeLuca said. “These threats were communicated with students and the [Random Hall] housemaster was also aware of this high level of risk.”
Shin’s psychiatric treatment at MIT began in February 1999, when Shin received in-patient treatment at McLean Hospital for one week after taking an overdose of Tylenol with Codeine.
According to the suit, Shin was referred to various employees at MIT Mental Health Services and was seeking treatment on a walk-in basis.
In a statement issued last week, Jeffrey Swope, an attorney for MIT, said the school is not to blame for the suicide of Shin.
“The death of Elizabeth Shin was a tragedy — for this bright young woman, her family and friends, and all those at MIT who tried to help her. But it was not the fault of MIT or anyone who works at MIT,” Swope said in the statement. “According to information provided by the family’s own lawyer, she had suffered from serious emotional problems that began at least as early as high school.
“Many people at MIT had offered as much help and support as they could to her. While MIT regrets the need to do so, it will defend against the claims that have been brought against it and the members of its community who had tried to help her,” Swope said in is statement.
Ken Campbell, a representative for the school, had no further comments on the case, nor did any representatives from the MIT police department of Mental Health Services.
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