'08
Three different students at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls attempted suicide in the past year, according to the National Enquirer’s review of local reports. In each case the attempts were thankfully unsuccessful, and details were kept private out of consideration for the girls and their families. One girl was recently expelled when her behavior and a suicide attempt made it apparent that she was mentally ill:
One student recently became suicidal after showing signs of mental illness and becoming disruptive in the classroom. This comes on the heels of two other suicide tries last year by girls at the school - one tried to kill herself by jumping off a building, and another cut her wrists.
None of the three girls died…
According to a local report, a 13 year-old girl began displaying signs of a mental breakdown shortly after her January enrollment. “She became disruptive in class and began cutting herself - she wanted to kill herself, ” a school insider told The Enquirer.
The academy administrators sent the girl to Tara Hospital, a respected Joahannesburg psychiatric clinic, where she later was diagnosed with epilepsy, the source said.
Shortly after the diagnosis, school administrators decided to expel the girl, who is now back with her family, according to the source.
[From The National Enquirer, print edition, April 28, 2008]
There was a big abuse scandal at Oprah’s school last October when it came out that a female matron had been physically assaulting and sexually fondling girls. Oprah hired an investigative team and extra security and the woman has been fired, arrested and is facing an investigation. Oprah also suspended the CEO who initially ignored the problem, and gave all the girls a cell phone programmed with her phone number so that they could personally contact her. She was praised by the South African press for her swift action in putting a stop to the abuse and making an example of the abuser.
Many parents complained that although a free top notch education at Oprah’s posh school was an amazing opportunity for their daughters, it also was also an abrupt isolation from their families. Impoverished girls from age 11 to 12 with demonstrated academic success were chosen as the first students, and most had never been apart from their families in their lives. Their parents are only allowed to visit once a month for just two hours, and only four people can visit at a time. Girls are not allowed to call home during the week and must wait until the weekends. Girls with many brothers and sisters were suddenly completely cut off from their siblings and the extended family they grew up with.
So when I read that three girls at Oprah’s school had attempted suicide, my first thought was that good food, beauty treatments and yoga sessions can’t take the place of loving family relationships, but that may be too judgmental on my part. According to South African researchers, the suicide rate among school age children is as high as 7.8%, so maybe it’s inevitable that some girls are troubled. Oprah is trying to do a good thing, and she’s put her heart and money into it, but it seems she’s imposed her idea of a materialistic good life on girls who could have taught Oprah a thing or two about the importance of family.
Written by Celebitchy
Posted in Oprah
14 Responses to “Three suicide attempts among 152 students in one year at Oprah’s school”
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Yes, I understand that Oprah can do whatever the hell she wants to with her money but I still don’t understand why she didn’t use her money more wisely and fund several normal schools across the country. She could have helped alot more people, particularly boys as well.
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“good food, beauty treatments and yoga sessions can’t take the place of loving family relationships”
Hear, hear, Celebitchy. I couldn’t agree with you more.
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in many cases of severe depression or mental problems, it is often the case that the phase when things start to get marginally better that is the most dangerous. for example, many people who are severely depressed dont even have the energy to kill themselves and once they are put on medication or therapy and start to come out of the woods, this is the most risky time for suicide because they feel a little more energy and initiative but are not feeling well enough yet to not attempt suicide.
I know it isnt the same situation but I wonder if the same kind of thing is happening here with the girls-once they are living outside of their impoverished and fairly hopeless situations (loving families aside) and put into this kind of otherworldy environment, it colors the way they see their lives and their families lives and situations, making it seem that much more hopeless and stressful and miserable. its this liminal in-between phase that can be the most difficult for the psyche.
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CB, I think you’ve said it all in your post. I know Oprah’s generous and philanthropic etc but she’s also very controlling and possibly wants this school, and the girls in it, to be her own personal showcase. Unfortunately, at the possible expense of the welfare of the kids concerned. Maybe she needs to be not quite so hands-on.
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Its Oprah’s social experiment. be intersting to see the fruits of this 20 years from now. You can’t micromanage a school of leadership ,OWLS..Oprah Winfrey Leadership School from a continenet away, Just my opinion.
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Why would you “expel” a child for mental illnesss? How horrid!
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goya- happens all the time in the US.
bros - while that’s a decent theory, the analogy is faulty in a major way. ‘as someone who is very pro-treatment and pro-medication, i feel it is my (uncomfortable) duty to tell people that SSRIs can cause suicidality not just in children but adults, and not because of the activating effects. extreme restlessness can be a side effect, but since suicidality has been induced in healthy volunteer studies of SSRIs, i don’t think that’s the only thing to blame. the activation effect is what big pharma says. in any case, i think it makes more sense that there is really something absent from these girls’ lives rather than ascribing it to former woes
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Dead on, Celebitchy. Dead on.
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yeah thats strange about not being able to call home and the limited visitation…. that is very odd… and probably a poor choice… kinda like not letting catholic priests marry… its gonna go wrong somewhere…
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Exactly, CB! Oprah is always on talking about how American kids are so different than African kids and that American ones don’t appreciate all they have. Well, maybe she should listen to her own preaching. African culture places a much higher emphasis on family and community. These girls are probably so homesick they can hardly take it.
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First - although it pains me to defend Oprah, this type of isolation is very much the norm for private boarding schools. It is very likely that Oprah based her school on the American model.
Second- the attempted suicide rates among first year students at private boarding schools (as well as colleges and universities around the US when the students are older and should be more able to handle the situation) tends to be fairly significant no matter where the school is located or who the founders are- we simply don’t hear as much about them. Maybe because Oprah isn’t involved.
Third- I think too much is being made of this school being a bad thing and not the positive thing that it is. I remember a few years back when people were complaining that Oprah had enough money to help a third world country but instead was giving away cars to her audience.
Now, people are complaining that Oprah is trying to help children of third world countries and not doing enough in America. Which considering all of the philanthropic efforts that Oprah has put into America is really unjustified.
I don’t particularly like Oprah. I never got how so many people loved her, but it seems really unfair to attack her for trying to do something good. Maybe she shouldn’t have counted so much on the American way of doing things when she started this program but at least its an effort. How much effort are the complainers making to help the children in ANY country on ANY continent?
New Orleans is still suffering from the turmoil of Katrina, children all over the world are still being abused and going without basic necessities and instead of saying “OK, I’m going to do this one small thing that I can do to help” People are up in arms because this was a cause that Oprah found.
I’m going to step off my soap box, but I have to say SERIOUSLY don’t get so lost in what others are doing that you forget you have ways of helping too. You want to show Oprah how its done? Support a book drive to restock the libraries of areas that have been devastated natural disaster. Go out and donate some time to help some American kids learn how to read.
Volunteer for a charity ANY charity and then maybe you won’t care so much about what Oprah does with her money. Or maybe you will but at least you will have a leg to stand on rather than your own self righteous indignation that a rich woman did something you disagree with. -
So when is Queen Oreo going to build a school in the country that’s made her a billionaire?
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First - although it pains me to defend Oprah, this type of isolation is very much the norm for private boarding schools. It is very likely that Oprah based her school on the American model.
—————————Exactly. I had two friends who were in boarding schools for a bit. Yeah, this sounds exactly like their experience in east coast schools (they had a great time, btw). This blog entry was bizarre.
ACK!:
headache:
wif:
bros:
Goya:
RC:
UrbanRube:
AC:
gumboyaya:
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You have to wonder why it’s necessary to isolate the girls from their families for the sake of education. Does anyone know the reasoning behind that policy?
Oprah’s not exactly a family oriented person. Maybe she really doesn’t “get” the importance of family.
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