Correction appended
When Arielle Rodman '07 was in high school, she was asked by friends why her mother was in the hospital. She told them that it was for back pains. Though her mother suffered from severe back problems, her inpatient stay was in fact for severe clinical depression. Rodman felt uncomfortable disclosing her mother's true diagnosis due to a stigma she felt her family had cultivated about the matter.
Rodman was one of five speakers who shared their personal experiences with depression at the "Depression at Dartmouth" panel, Tuesday evening in Collis Commonground. The panelists encouraged audience members not to be ashamed of seeking professional help and emphasized the importance of avoiding isolation during depressive episodes.
All the panelists related that communication with family members and close friends was key to their mental well-being. The speakers described that without this contact, they experienced a common feeling of spiraling into isolation that worsened their depression.
According to Dick's House statistics, over 1,000 students use the College's counseling services, a figure that represents one-quarter of the Dartmouth undergraduate student population.
Panelists also attributed feeling isolated to being embarassed about receiving professional counseling and using medication.
Rodman talked about a friend who refused to take medication for her depression although her situation was bordering on suicidal behavior.
Hayley Coleman '07, who organized the event, emphasized that depression is a significant issue warrants further attention.
Angela Monafo '09, who was diagnosed with clinical depression when she was eleven, said that she felt alone because no one in her family wanted to talk about it. She expressed gratitude to her mother for finding her a therapist, calling it the best thing she could have done.
Bill McClellan '07 discussed the therapeutic benefits of confiding with other members of his fraternity, Gamma Delta Chi. McClellan became depressed when he returned to Dartmouth Fall term immediately after breaking up with his girlfriend.
"I basically wanted to be under a rock the whole term," McClellan said.
McClellan described one occasion when he and several other fraternity members gathered in a room and talked about their experiences dealing with love and breakups.
"We really learned to talk it out and that helped so much," McClellan said.
Justin Rudelson, a professor of Asian and Middle Eastern languages and literatures, said he regretted not having discovered the "miracle of medication" for so long. Rudelson suffers from seasonal affective disorder, which he discovered after moving to New Hampshire from California. Rudelson said that about 20 percent of Dartmouth students have experienced a depressive episode, and attributed this pervasiveness partly to the academic and social pressures exerted on students by the D-plan.
Rudelson said the best thing to do for someone who is depressed is to "just pull them out." He encouraged students suffering from the winter blues to "go up to someone and say 'I need a hug.'"
For the record: An article on Wednesday ("Mental health panelists discuss depression bouts," Feb. 28) incorrectly referred to Bill McClellan '07 as Bill Madden '07 and to Arielle Rodman '07 as Ariel Rodman '07.
