Panel discusses depression and suicide among students

11/23/04 - Members of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority and the University of Rhode Island Counseling Center presented a program addressing depression and its frequent appearance in college students. A diverse panel explained the causes, symptoms and treatments available for people affected by depression. Director of Women and Infants Postpartum Depression Day Hospital Margaret Howard, a clinical assistant professor at Brown University's Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, said that many women often suffer in silence.

"There is nothing more stigmatized in American culture than to be a new mom and have depression," she said, emphasizing that depression is an illness and needs to be treated like one.

Howard said that the Women and Infants Day Hospital has the only program in the country dedicated to mother-infant treatment.
She highlighted types of depressive illnesses, including major depressive disorder, which is characterized by symptoms of sadness, loss of pleasure, loss of energy, social withdrawal and frequent crying.

Dysthymia, a low-grade chronic depression, is typically common in people having fewer symptoms than major depression, but still requiring treatment. Bipolar disorder, often paired with manic depression, affects mood, allowing for cycles of feelings of euphoria in between feelings of depression.

"Alcohol is used as self-medication," Howard said, adding that bipolar disorder is a "complex illness that is multi-determined." She said that in many cases alcohol is common among reported suicides.

Gary Sawyer, the father of Joseph Sawyer, a suicide victim at the age of 21, spoke on how his son's death affected his family.

"On a personal basis, it's a matter of communication. Many parents struggle with how to communicate with their children," he said.

Sawyer acknowledged the relationship between depression and creativity. His son, Joseph, was the author of several pieces of artwork, which reflect the complex feelings he had throughout his life.

"You can see visually the mental anguish Joe went through," Sawyer said.
Some of the artwork includes drawings of natural landscapes, many of which were composed early in his life, followed by examples of drawings of animals fighting, overlapping images of faces, and a man trapped in a box, illustrating his later severe depression.

Sawyer also serves on the advisory board for Families for Depression Awareness, a non-profit organization dedicated to treating individuals and families of individuals suffering from depression.

According to Families for Depression and Awareness, depression is the number one cause of suicide in the United States.

Aimee Belisle, Miss Rhode Island 2004 and a sufferer of depression, shared her story of dealing with the illness and the forms of treatment she sought. Belisle, a former participant in the Miss America pageant, used depression awareness as her platform. Having graduated college two years ago, Belisle has been battling depression since her freshman year.

"I didn't know depression could affect me," she said. "I started cutting myself. It calmed me down and put me out of panic mode."

Belisle said through help from friends, she was able to seek effective therapy and began taking anti-depressants for relief.

"Anti-depressants are not necessarily `happy pills,'" she said. "The fog cleared and I could see things more clearly."

Jane Lindquist, training manager for The Samaritans of Boston, a 30-year-old organization committed to suicide prevention, explained the different services that are provided by her organization, and the benefits of taking advantage of them.

"We call it `befriending,'" she said, referring to the advice given on the teen hotline and the 24-hour hotline available to people suffering from depression.

"Anyone can practice suicide prevention to a friend," she said.
A receptive crowd applauded the panelists at the end of the discussion, including education major Christine Corio, a junior at URI and a member of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority.

"I thought it was cool to hear real people's stories, and what makes up people with disorders. It was more meaningful than sitting in a class," Corio said.

Howard said that many depression sufferers often know when it is time to get help once they have been feeling down or depressed consistently for two weeks.

"Go through the checklist of symptoms," she said. "If it goes on for two weeks and gets worse, seek help."

The center for Families for Depression Awareness and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) can be helpful to those interested in therapy. They can be reached at (800) 826-3632 or (312) 642-0049. The Samaritans of Boston offer several programs based around suicide prevention. A 24-hour free, confidential phone "befriending" line is 617-247-0220, and a teen hotline is available at (800) 252-TEEN.