seewhat I mean188 you wonder why people don't like atheists. Look in the mirror, so what if its false hope. ITS HOPE. Let people grieve or send good thoughts in their own way and quit being a atheist bot repeating yourself in the comment section, you think your being smart but really you let stupid in the door pretty quick. Don't tell people what they can and can't do. I am agnostic but I don't begrudge anybody in their way of grieving. That is just low and sick.

This message is addressed to Seewhat I mean188:

It must be difficult being you. Apparently, you have to cope with a lot of personal anger issues and a lot of raging resentment for those who easily recognize the clues for God’s existence all around us while you remain unable to comprehend the obvious. Instead, your mindless hostility causes you to lash out at believers as if that provides an iota of relief from your inner turmoil. I really pity you. Honestly, I do.

But if you ever become an adherent of science, logic, philosophy, or common sense, you will eventually discover this inescapable truth – God really exists. While the existence of God cannot be proven scientifically in a laboratory, there are enough clues to conclude that God exists beyond a reasonable doubt. For example, the existence of God is clearly indicated by an honest examination of the Argument from Design, two Laws of Thermodynamics, the Law of Cause and Effect, the Law of Biogenesis, clues from the Fossil Record, the Existence of Conscience, and the Wisdom of the Ages. These arguments/clues collectively provide enough of a starting point to rightly conclude that a Higher Being of some kind exists.

While I’m on the topic of science and God, here’s the conclusion that Albert Einstein arrived at during his illustrious career: “Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe – a spirit vastly superior to that of man…In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is indeed quite different from the religiosity of someone more naive.” Game…set… match!!

George Carlin would have said you are wrong and he would have been right

I'm an atheist, but people are free to believe whatever they choose as long as it's harmless. If they find comfort in a god, I may think it's delusional but you don't need to jump down their throat when they do so. It hurts no one so live and let live and show some respect for those who feel differently than you.

I'm an atheist, and what ever someone believe is fine with me, like I always say that last few seconds of a persons life is the moment of truth, NO one truly knows till that moment if they are truly an atheist NOT even me, I say I'm an atheist but the moment is not here yet. I'm not going to BS myself. I don't put others down because they may believe differently and I don't respect others that do, so people need to have a little class a girl has died, RIP.

I feel sorry for atheists and anyone who hasn't felt the grace of God at some point in their lives.

For myself, I have felt HIS presence especially at times of anguish and need.

For the family of this young student I can hope they find the strangth within to deal with their pain and loss.

I am curious though, that if she was found not far from where she had been last seen, why she wasn't found sooner.

Mental illness often manifests in people who are in their late teens and early twenties. This young woman showed signs of mental illness which is (for goodness sakes) NOT just unhappiness, See what but an ILLNESS! She was being treated; but, because it is very difficult in California to treat people against their will, she was able to walk away. Residents of Sacramento have been on the look out for her since her disappearance. It was assumed she was still alive, but avoiding further treatment, as the mentally ill sometimes do. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Condolences to her family. And, good grief, forget PREACHING to them, Janine.

This type of mental health issue is becoming more common on college campuses in the past few years. Depression, stress and anxiety over finals, over the future, over boyfriends or girlfriends. The best thing a parent can do is to not constantly ask their college student about what they are planning to do about the future, to not constantly talk about how the Chinese and Indian students are so much better prepared and harder working, or to talk about how much harder life will be for them than it has been in the past. It's to much for the kids and they crack. People do have to live for now as well as planning for the future.

Don't feel sorry for me Janine.

I can feel happy, excited about life and enjoy the company of mankind without believing in God.

To each it's own.

seewhat ... being an atheist does not mean one does not feel compassion and pain in such a loss .. and it surely does not mean one has permission to be so cold ... hating the religious does not make on an atheist ...

There is a time and place ... this is neither ... shame on you ... take it from us, to grow beyond a need to believe in deity does not mean one grows beyond a need to be human ...

rhonda lucky: Argument from Design, is a false argument, also none of the other laws, "two Laws of Thermodynamics, the Law of Cause and Effect, the Law of Biogenesis, clues from the Fossil Record, the Existence of Conscience, and the Wisdom of the Ages. These arguments/clues collectively provide enough of a starting point to rightly conclude that a Higher Being of some kind exists." prove anything at all about the existence of a god. They only hint at the possibility off a a being that may exist with a knowledge , science, beyond our comprehension as to give the appearance of said being, being a god.

There were thousands of people, if not more I would wager, that were praying for her safe return and she still did not return safely. I think that's what Seewhat I mean188 meant. Not the time or the place really, but still true nonetheless. I hope she did not suffer and her family and friends find comfort.

Me, too. I didn't feel good about it back then, though. Sadly, this is as much a failing of our deteriorating mental health system that has been systematically dismantled since the 1980's, largely due to the fact that they're typically a "poor profit performer". Prisons, on the other hand, are exceptionally profitable, so they have been dramatically increased virtually everywhere in the US and then become for profit ventures (venture capitalism at its finest) and a multi-billion dollar industry.

The number one place the mentally ill are housed, after the streets, is-you guessed it-PRISONS! Mental illness is at best, poorly treated as few communities have adequate resources and for the few that have any type of safety nets left, they're so tattered with holes the mentally ill are falling through by the millions. Besides, why treat them when you can make a profit, right? Isn't that crony capitalism free enterprise? Many places have laws now that read "insane but guilty". Every culture-even the old Soviet Russia and all the Al Qaeda states-has believed it immoral to punish a mentally ill person as any other criminal but not the good ol' US of A! We don't treat them! No! That would make us humanitarians. decent and civil socialists! Just because people are now a commodity and traded on the open market and what's wrong with that? We celebrate success in this country, we're not ashamed of it, right?

2 different articles about prisons for profit:

cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2012/May/Nation-of-Criminals-Selling-Prisons-for-Profit/

commondreams.org/view/2012/04/25-7

Pathetic liberal lies. Mental institutions were abusing patients, keeping them committed for profit. It was Bobby Kennedy who championed mental patients rights. That had the unintended consequence of many living on the street rather than be locked up in a mental ward.

States privatize prisons for one reason, to save money. Your fascist anti business rant is pathetic, prisons are filling up because of three strikes laws and the war on drugs. And private prisons are making money by saving money for the states. Only a stupid liberal would be so socialist he would rather the state pay more than allow EVIL profits to a private company.

The Marxist in chief is nothing but crony capitalism, Solyndra anyone? Free enterprise is when you DON'T pick winners and losers. Idiot liberals practice crony capitalism, claim it's free market capitalism, then call it evil. Do they really think the average American is that stupid?

And only idiot liberals would talk positively about the USSR that routinely "assigned" dissidents to mental institution for "re education".

Vahalla, a young woman is DEAD because of an obvious failure of the mental health system in the State of California. Put a SOCK in the political rant!

Vahalla - you seriously should consider medication. Your incoherent rant made absolutely no sense. Probably because you have to find ways to insert vitriolic language even where it doesn't fit. So this poor young woman becomes overwhelmed with life and while she does seek help, apparently it wasn't enough to save her. Her family and friends grieve and then maybe one day they just decide to sit and read the article written about her, only to find that scores of anger riddled humans use the article about their loved one to spew gross, hateful, baseless, tactless barrages of gunk! How these desperate individuals seem to find there way to these articles amazes me. First of all the tragic death of this girl has nothing to do with President Obama, nor the government, Marxism, Capitalism, etc. Again, take some meds, practice yoga, but by all means shut it. And to all the Atheists who feel compelled to make snarky comments about prayer and peace regarding this young lady's death or any of the other innumerable other articles that deal with the human tragedy where others offer prayer and thoughts of peace - really? Grow up. So what you don't believe in God. Really so what! I don't either and frankly I wish I did. If someone can get some measure of comfort from God, or Christ, or Allah, Buddah, what ever, in this incredibly screwed up world more power to them. But you all look like freaking 12 year olds when you post such ridiculous statements. Do you sit there thinking "wow this will really freak those people out when I type this"? It doesn't. It is along the line of tattooing your face and putting spikes in your head and saucers in your earlobes. People aren't looking for the reasons that you think they are. Sorry, I digress. To the family of Linnea - Peace be with you.

Because she was. Yellow journalism would be if she wasn't at a mental health appointment and they said she was to get people to read the article. If these are the facts then they are being truthful. I'm more surprised about the fact that the police divulged this information than that the media reported it.

My prayers are with the family as well as with the deceased. May they find peace and comfort, and let others remember that none of us have the right to be judgemental of our fellow human beings- for no matter how cut and dried a situation may seem none of us are God and therefore we don't know the whole story nor those involved in it.

All the leaps in medical science and yet people are still rather ignorant about mental illnesses, thinking them more a figment of imagination than a very real condition with physiological markers and changes in brain and body chemistry. If you look at it, even grief - however fleeting - can be labeled as a temporary mental illness. So can rage or infatuation and particularly when a person becomes so embroiled or overwhelmed by strong emotions that he/she becomes dysfunctional.

We live in a society where material possessions or socio-economic achievement matter more than people, where we are subjected to impossibly high standards of physical attractiveness and success and many of us are left feeling like failures because we don't and can't measure up. Some families stress success in academics, athletics, and popularity to the point that their children crack under the strain. For some individuals, their personal drive to attain perfection or success at impossibly high levels causes them to break down. Our society pushes all sorts of methods in how to succeed but not how to fail, let alone how to learn from failure and continue working towards success. You know, the proverbial turning lemons into lemonade. Instead a single failure is seen as dooming one for life and then we wonder why so many of us are so stressed out.

Human beings are very complicated and so much of the human psyche is unknown or little understood. There are very definite indicators that our social "ideals" are becoming very unhealthy and yet we keep pushing more of the same as the cure. We are failing to heed the lessons of history or look at the lives of some of the real heroes who often failed many times in life or who found success in ways that the rest of society failed to appreciate for years. We should love and appreciate our fellow human beings more than we do, and maybe strive for less perfection and more happiness. We should be more forgiving of shortcomings and failure whether our own or someone else's and more willing to be a shoulder for others to lean on or cry on. More willing to accept that from others when we need it as well.

And as my great-grandmother often said, if you can't say something nice it's better to say nothing at all. Try treating each other with the respect and compassion we ourselves want to be treated with and forgiving as we want to be forgiven. Instead of being wrapped up in ourselves, try watching out for each other more and learning to recognize when someone needs help. Compassion and gentleness are not weaknesses but incredible strengths.

@jrsquid

Sad story, but why did the report have to mention she was at a mental health appt.

They mention her mental health appointment because she likely killed herself right after. It is a relevant fact regardless of how it makes you feel. Perhaps you should avoid reading stories about tragedies if you are so sensitive.

What if someone took advantage of her unstableness and threw away the laptop down the road for fear of being 'fingered'. My condolences. Hooray for the drewpeter-sin verdict!

People who learned of this case from its inception know the following FACTS (not "yellow journalism".) The young woman was experiencing symptoms of mental illness and was being treated at an out patient clinic when she bolted. She was not just "stressed" and it was not just an ordinary "appointment." She was mentally ill and being treated. It was widely assumed that she was missing because she did not want to be found, but there was also worry she could not care for herself, so law enforcement sought help from the community to look for her, essentially as a welfare check. It was suggested that if anyone saw her to not confront her, but just to report the sighting. Clearly, it was assumed she was still alive, but at risk. Tragically, this was not the case, but it only stigmatizes the mentally ill further to suggest that this part of the events should not hav been reported.

Furthermore, what is wrong with having a mental health appointment? If there wasn't such a stigma attached to people having mental health problems, maybe more people would seek the health they need.

The appointment WAS relevant to the story, it partly explains why she took her own life, she wasn't taking her meds and felt overwhelmed. Very sad.

Edie is a brunette.

dennis, what the @!$%# are you saying, weirdo

Maybe this young woman's death can help shed more light on the fact that mental illness is a disease, and that patients need better monitoring. Sometimes, it's hard to get an adult family member to take the meds regularly. I live this scene every day- my oldest daughter is bipolar. She's much better about staying on her meds now, after a couple of severe meltdowns. I'm afraid that some day she may harm herself or someone else during an episode. Every time the phone rings, I tense up. She is 29, so I have no legal say in her care. I feel so badly for the parents of this beautiful young woman. Such a tragic loss.

Not everybody's life is full of fun and games.
You cannot judge one person's situation the same as someone else's. We don't know her home life. Maybe the stress wasn't because of "finals". They ARE stressful, yes....but, her home life might have played a big part in it. Or a "boyfriend"...or whatever ....

Conway: you make good points, but college CAN be unbearable for MANY students. I also agree there were probably a number of factors, but I would suspect her emotional instability was a big factor, poor kid.

Statistics show that 30% of college students reported feeling "so depressed that it was difficult to function (severely depressed). 6% of college students SERIOUSLY consider suicide and 1% ATTEMPT suicide and some of these manage to succeed. When you consider there are hundreds of thousands of college students at any given time, that is a lot of people.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for teens and young adults ages 15 to 24. There is TOO MUCH PRESSURE for some.

I don't know if that is what happened to this young lady but I think it is important for people with kids, especially kids in college to know, it is THAT stressful for many and for some it is fatal without serious help.

Yes, there were probably other factors, too. That is why it is so important to know what depression is and get help. People who are depressed are far more likely to kill themselves. It sounds like this family was trying by getting her help.

Sad situation all the way around.

I'm a college graduate. I know the stress of studying all the time AND working full time while I did it.

I didn't say it WASN'T a factor. I said maybe it wasn't the MAIN factor. Nobody knows.

I was commenting on blackdooR's post:

Life is knock 'em down but get back up. Life's not that serious!

My point is that yes, maybe life IS that serious to some people. Apparently, this is one person who took life seriously.

There is absolutely NO evidence she was abducted, even now.

LiitleI56,

I'm all for more gov't funding for treatment of mental health issues.

But as far the the involuntary commitment laws, what exactly do you think it should say?

Note that that law is interpreted very differently in different states, since each state has written their own laws regarding involuntary commitment. In Rhode Island, for example, they can commit you if you there's any sort of evidence that you were self-destructive recently. In Pennsylvania, you have to say that you feel like killing yourself/someone else in that moment to be committed. If you hurt yourself an hour ago but you say that you don't feel that way anymore, they won't commit you.

Also, if the criteria for holding someone against their will for evaluation/treatment in a hospital were changed and made less strict, there would be many more people who end up at hospitals. The hospitals are overflowing now already, everywhere. My best friend has been sent home from an ER in a mid-sized city just 9 hours after she OD'd on prescriptions simply because there was no space for her at any psychiatric facility within 500 miles. To be honest, having more involuntary admissions means less or no space for those who voluntarily admit themselves, and those that voluntarily go have a much better chance of getting healthy since they want the help. I realize that the sentence above makes me sound like a incompassionate jerk, but it is an unfortunate reality and the overcrowding is not going to get better within the next 100 years.

3rd, the current involuntary commitment laws don't delay anybody getting help. A judge doesn't have to sign off before the person is admitted. Most (if not all) people who are involuntarily committed are committed before a judge signs off on it. The judge simply has to review the case within a certain number of hours. So I'm not sure what you mean when you say that these procedures delay help.

More funding for mental health is needed, clearly. Changing the involuntary commitment law isn't going to help.

As many people have already written here, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of Linnea, and the family of whoever this is, if it is someone other than her.

You are basically answering your own question. Prior to the influx of these laws, many states had stand alone mental health facilities. The changing of the mental health cause for evaluation laws was just part of it. Basically giving states an excuse to close down these facilities. To now be involuntarily admitted, in most states like California they must pose an immediate threat to themselves or others. How did that protect this young lady? Those admitted involuntarily at least have the opportunity to be treated, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. I'd argue if one Life is saved than that involuntary admit rules are successful. Granted the quality of services varied tremendously between states and even between facilities in the same state. A whole new bureaucracy was created to meet the new laws for involuntary observation including mandatory proceedings requiring, patient advocates, panels and judges. Adding huge costs to a system that was already viewed by the public as being demonized by the media.

This young women was the results of well intended laws that were meant to protect patients. What these laws failed to do was to protect the patients from their own worst enemy, themselves. It's 2012, time to re-evaluate these laws and fund mental health facilities and infrastructures. I was deeply saddened to see this young lady loose her Life. I hope someday her family can find peace.

The headline says it is "confirmed" that it is she. What part of that do you not understand?

WTF ???

My first thought is also WTF, but assuming you are impossibly dense, I'll respond. What makes it "special" is that an entire community was searching for her. For example, people attending the State Fair of California (held in Sacramento in July) were asked to be on the look out for her as it was assumed she was still alive, but at risk. If for no other reason than to tell the rest of us to call off the search, word needs to get out she was found,unfortunately, not alive.

This is another douchebagicus who is a callous jerkwad.

If you can't handle it, don't go. Or stay at home while you take college classes. Academia is HARD work, even though you are sitting down. It isn't for everyone.

izandroro: Actually you have some REALLY GOOD ADVICE. However, a person with mental illness will still need more help. It is really important for them to know they have support and won't be condemned or judged if the have to drop out due to depression or anxiety.

The is just too much stigma for those who "can't handle it."

YOU ARE CORRECT it ISN'T for everyone. Colleges and Universities also have to be aware of the 6% who are really in trouble and give them the advice and support they need to succeed, whatever that means for them.

Does anyone GET that she was MENTALLY ILL? It was not just the "stress" of college. She had a diagnosed ILLNESS! SHEESH.

First of all, visit some dorms during finals....they're quieter than churches during silent prayer. Many mental illnesses surface during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It isn't college. And yes, a family member changed just like Linnea.

Brenda and izandroro: You both have valid points. The combination of depression, anxiety and added stress of finals it very dangerous for some people. College was part of the problem, mental illness added to her distress. It happens all too often.

My condolences to her family and hope that there is support and understanding for others who are dealing with these issues.

Izandroro I disagree. It is for everyone. The problem is that everyone has to conform to the academic "I had to do it, now it's your turn." medieval guild model. A model that only makes a point of serving itself. We have no idea why she was having a hard time, but claiming that anyone can't succeed in college says more about you than Linnea.

Milhaus: So since almost all universities and colleges operate on this "medieval guild model" and even more so now that there are budget crunches, what do you do with the students who are mentally ill (as this student appears to be) and all the other students who are struggling with this model?

The research shows many students are being "reduced to a level that they cannot function in life."

So since the system isn't going to change any time soon do we just tell them that anyone can succeed regardless, so it is the student's fault? That makes NO SENSE.

We know why this student was having a hard time. She was being treated for depression and anxiety and was struggling with being a freshman. It is not at all uncommon.

You might want to try reading the article and some research on mental illness in college.

Or better yet, try some logic with your own line of thinking.

ACADEMIA is difficult and the system is medieval (I agree with you), so how can you state it is for everyone? Everyone is just supposed to support the medieval structure and cope with it? Not everybody can or WANTS to.