One of the problems with some dayschool educations is that sometimes the teachers get so caught up in Jewish law that they forget to consider the human side of things. Granted, I don't think I was ever taught that suicide was evil, but in elementary school, I was taught that it was against Jewish law (with nothing further said about it) - as if that would stop a person from doing it. I know of a situation where one student from the school told another that she had plans to commit suicide. The other's first (but not only) response was, "but it's against Jewish law." I wonder if that argument actually made any difference. (Something did - the second student is still alive and well, as far as I know.)

This is why we need more teachers like my high school chumash teacher - a rabbi with a doctorate in psychology, who considers Jewish text from both angles.