"I felt like I had fucked myself over to the point where I couldn't get back. [I thought there was] nothing anyone could do; I had caused myself and others too much grief. I wanted the pain to stop, because drugs weren't helping me anymore," he says.

William was recovering from acute depression and a drug addiction when he came to Harvard.

He sought help at UHS and was pleased with the counseling he received from a therapist at UHS's mental health services.

"I never thought of UHS as a long-term option, but in an acute situation, it was really helpful," he says. "[UHS] moved fairly quickly to get me in to see them and the doctor I saw was very concerned."

Taking Action

"Right when I was about to pull the trigger, I stepped back and thought about how messy my room would get [if I went through with it]," William says. "That's the effect intervention would have."

William, who was saved by a fleeting thought, says students should approach friends who are depressed or suicidal.

"Never be afraid to step in and say you're worried," says William. "What's the worst thing they could say? And you might save their life."

Laura also advises students who have potentially suicidal friends to avoid leaving them alone.

"Try to be with them as much as possible....keep them busy," she says.

William warns that even though intervening is important, friends must think carefully before approaching someone whom they think is suicidal.

"If you say something, you're making a commitment," he says. An intervention must be wholehearted and should include a discussion of other options, he says.

Depressed students, he adds, should also make an effort to reach out before resorting to suicide.

"Depression can make you all alone--don't let it take you away," William says. "If you're thinking no one cares, I know how that feels, but that's bullshit. People do care."

A Stressful Atmosphere