@Anechoic, I'm sorry for your loss.
Just for full disclosure, I wasn't close to Fes-Mike, but we lived in the same dorm (New House, I was New House 3, he was Spanish House 2 floors above my room), but we crossed paths a number of times in the halls and he always made time to wave and greet me. I was/am friends with people who were close to him, and the devastation they experienced when we all learned what happened was unforgettable. And to cap it off, some friends and I had to talk a classmate out of committing suicide a little while later.
Overall I enjoyed my experience at MIT, but there were a few soul crushing moments in my time.
As the article hints, the competitive nature of the student body is a double-edged sword - it helps push you further than you think you're capable of, but it can also push you beyond your breaking point. In a lot of cases, it's a fine line.
To any MIT students reading this:
1) You deserve to be there. Really.
2) You are not alone (read Pepper White's "The Idea Factory" if you don't believe me).
3) Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of strength.
4) Failing is not the end of the world.
5) Unless you are going to war or face a diagnosis of a terminal disease, everything else after MIT is easy. It gets better.
Please take care of yourselves. Take a break, decompress, have a little fun. The world is a better place with you all in it.
RIP Fes-Mike http://tech.mit.edu/V113/N3/martinez.03o.html