2008 Woodie Awards
Letter to the Editor
Issue date: 5/9/06 Section: Opinion
Dear Editor,
I was so impressed by Harvest Daurelle's column about her battle with depression printed in the April 25th issue of the Collegian. It was incredibly brave for her to write on such a vulnerable topic. I'm sure it took an enormous amount of humility and courage and for that I commend her.
I hope Harvest knows she is not alone and hopefully her article helps others with depression to know that. Those of us who have battled depression understand her words so well. Depression is such a taboo topic in society that admitting to it, seeking help, and talking about it can be demeaning due to its social stigma. Harvest wrote of her struggle in recognizing and coming to terms with her depression. Countless others, including myself, have similar stories.
I also agree with her statements about "pill popping" and spending time in conversation together. Anti-depressants can be beneficial for many; they were for me at one point. However, they are often handed out like candy and expected to work as a cure-all. To help people with depression people need to be able to seek counseling and other treatment and be encouraged to do so. Also, to echo Harvest, we need to be able to talk about it with the people in our lives. Just as Harvest's friends were instrumental in helping her out of depression, I had people who were imperative in my recovery. This is true for so many people who have recovered from depression.
I commend Harvest for her bravery in bringing this subject to light. I hope that it comforted others. We should all work together to break the stigma around depression.
Beth Fineran '06
I was so impressed by Harvest Daurelle's column about her battle with depression printed in the April 25th issue of the Collegian. It was incredibly brave for her to write on such a vulnerable topic. I'm sure it took an enormous amount of humility and courage and for that I commend her.
I hope Harvest knows she is not alone and hopefully her article helps others with depression to know that. Those of us who have battled depression understand her words so well. Depression is such a taboo topic in society that admitting to it, seeking help, and talking about it can be demeaning due to its social stigma. Harvest wrote of her struggle in recognizing and coming to terms with her depression. Countless others, including myself, have similar stories.
I also agree with her statements about "pill popping" and spending time in conversation together. Anti-depressants can be beneficial for many; they were for me at one point. However, they are often handed out like candy and expected to work as a cure-all. To help people with depression people need to be able to seek counseling and other treatment and be encouraged to do so. Also, to echo Harvest, we need to be able to talk about it with the people in our lives. Just as Harvest's friends were instrumental in helping her out of depression, I had people who were imperative in my recovery. This is true for so many people who have recovered from depression.
I commend Harvest for her bravery in bringing this subject to light. I hope that it comforted others. We should all work together to break the stigma around depression.
Beth Fineran '06