To the editors:
Alexander Nguyen's "Ordinary People" (Opinion, April 5) about depression and suicide at Harvard, was excellent. I was particularly impressed with the personal testimonies from the pseudonymous "Erin," "Sarah" and "Jesse"; such stories help to demystify depression and might encourage others to reach out. Allow me to offer an additional personal story.
About 300 students know me as the head TF for Chem 5 and 7; another 300 or so from my role as a resident tutor in Eliot House. In addition, I was the music director for the Gilbert and Sullivan show this fall, and I just returned from a spring tour as assistant conductor of the Glee Club.
In these roles, people see my leadership, my compassion, my energy and enthusiasm for all I do. None can see that I was one of the students to "use mental health services" at University Health Services (UHS).
During my first year in graduate school, I faced a difficult personal crisis which hindered my academic progress. My network of friends helped immensely during this ordeal, but they were too invested in my well-being to offer an impartial sounding board for some of my concerns. A close friend confided in me that he had used the mental health services at UHS and recommended them highly; on this advice, I saw a counselor about six times over a period of several months.
I can honestly say that my meetings with her were crucial in helping me through this difficult time; there is great value in speaking with a professional who is entirely removed from your social circle. Still, it was an effort to convince my friends that I saw a counselor not because their support was insufficient but because her support was different--and complementary--to theirs.
When I look back on those events, I am incredibly grateful that my friend suggested UHS. I'm certain that I would not have gone to them on my own, and it was only through the force of his personal recommendation that I overcame my reluctance. So I am now recommending them to you: friend, acquaintance or total stranger. If this letter encourages one hesitant student to take advantage of this excellent, underutilized resource, that will more than compensate for my own hesitance in writing it.
Logan McCarty '96
April 5, 1999
Read more in Opinion
Justice ServedRecommended Articles
-
Mental Health Now Campus ConcernThis is the first part in a two-part series concerning the challenges students face in dealing with various forms of
-
Report Finds Mental Health Services LackingMental health services at Harvard are understaffed and inefficiently coordinated--though improving--according to a report to be released today by a
-
Harvard Launches Health InitiativeHarvard wants you to know that it cares. In the wake of student complaints about the University's mental health resources,
-
You're Not Crazy, You're Just at HarvardAt the same time as suicide and depression rates for teenagers have increased drastically so too have the rates for
-
Mental Health Needs AttentionH arvard can be a pretty stressful and depressing place, especially if you have nowhere to turn. A recent article
-
Asking for Help at HarvardLiving in a community that has endured two apparent suicides over the past year and a half, I have at
