"I only saw nurse practitioners, and I thought that was fine," she says.

Matthews adds: "Sometimes, they seem to know as much as the doctors."

Halfway Heaven, a recent book by Melanie R. Thernstorm '87 about the 1995 murder-suicide in Dunster House, criticizes UHS's Mental Health Service for not recognizing suicidal or homicidal tendencies in Sinedu Tadesse '96, who killed her roommate, Trang P. Ho '96, and then herself.

Thernstrom writes that Tadesse had been seeing a UHS counselor since her first year but he had never prescribed medication for her and only saw her on "a limited basis."

Thernstrom adds that the counselor possessed only a doctorate of education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education rather than a medical degree.

"Suicide is a tough subject," Rosenthal says. "Even people in hospitals commit suicide. People can be in care and still commit suicide. People come [to Harvard] with a lot of stresses, and it can be aggravated in a college environment."

However, Rosenthal, Michael and UHS Patient Advocate Kathleen K. Dias point out that this month is National Depression Screening Month and that UHS has been publicizing it assiduously.

Despite anecdotal complaints, there are students who report complete satisfaction with UHS and with the professionalism of its health providers.

Peter S. Manasantivongs '99, who was treated for hives right before he took his Graduate Record Exam last week, says he has nothing but praise for UHS.

"My only experience with UHS was a positive one," he says. "I have nothing but good things to say."

--Baratunde R. Thurston contributed to the reporting of this article.