An Interactive Magazine on Depression & Suicide
About this magazine
Going to college is a huge step in a young person’s life. That transition and period of time can be particularly stressful, and many young people suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts. I wanted to create a resource for college students who are interested in learning more about depression and suicide, to help break down the stigma around those topics. By combining data, interviews and contributed stories, I hope to offer a unique interactive magazine that provides a personal look at the individuals behind the numbers. Often students suffer in silence and that can be an isolating experience. I hope that this offers a glimpse of hope, and comfort knowing that there are a multitude of resources available for young people. The conversation around depression and suicide shouldn’t be taboo. While this magazine is in no way a substitute for medical advice, it does have direct links to helpful resources for readers, who would like to learn more, or need someone to talk to.
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Resources
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Myth or Fact? Check Your Knowledge
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Defining Depression
Stories of Depression & Suicide
Conversation with a Counselor
How to use this magazine
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Contents
Click the boxes to navigate to a certain page, or use the arrow buttons on the side.
Representation in Media
1
Many people suffer from depression in the United States. Depression (major depressive disorder or clinical depression) is a common but serious mood disorder. It causes severe symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working. To be diagnosed with depression, the symptoms must be present for at least two weeks.
* All other groups are non-Hispanic or Latino ** NH/OPI = Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander *** AI/AN American Indian / Alaskan Native
Suicidal Thoughts
Suicide Attempts
Percent
2 or More
AI/AN***
NH/OPI**
Asian
Black
White
Hispanic*
50 +
26-49
18-25
Male
Female
Overall
2
3
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
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Data on Suicide
True!
Myth!
Every suicide attempt is planned a significant time in advance.
If you have depression, you will take medication for the rest of your life.
A study found that 1 in 5 college students suffered from depression or anxiety.
Everyone who contemplates or commits suicide has depression.
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There are warning signs of a person who might attempt suicide.
Some depression medication can take 4-6 weeks to take effect.
Myth or Fact?
Check Your Knowledge
Depression comes in waves for me, some days are easier than others, but talking about what I am going through is crucial for me to begin to feel better. Thankfully I have a good therapist and friends to talk to whenever I need to lean on someone. I don’t know where I would be without them. —Mackenzie, 20
My girlfriend has depression, and when I first started dating her, she was the first person I’ve ever known to struggle with this. I’ve learned a lot being with her and how to try my best to help her on her bad days. I read a lot about depression and talked with her, even though it was kinda awkward at first. She opened up to me, and we became so much closer. It’s been great. We are celebrating our 1 year anniversary soon actually. -Jasmine, 18
I usually get depressed around the same time every year at Christmas, when my grandfather died. I was really close with him and it hit me hard when he passed away. It was the day after Christmas, so now I can’t help but always think of him and wish he was still here for the holidays especially. He used to always give me a coin from his collection, even though they weren’t worth very much, they still meant a lot to me. I keep them all in a notebook now by my bed. -Charlie, 19
I’m pretty open about my depression and even joke about it with my friends sometimes. I guess that’s dark humor, but it makes it easier to talk about. Sometimes they don’t really know what to do for me to make me feel better, so last year I was having a rough time, and so for my birthday, they threw a surprise party for me. We watched terrible movies, and it was awesome. Even though it didn’t make the feelings go away, I still appreciated that they were trying to support me in any way they could. -Louis, 22
When I first got to college, I was so happy to finally be able to come out and transition. In my hometown, it was seen as something unacceptable. I was so depressed and miserable there. Here I finally feel free to be myself and I cannot express how great that feels. I honestly dread going home over breaks because I feel like I can’t really be myself there. -Anonymous
I lost my mother to suicide about 5 years ago, and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. She always struggled with depression and she was bipolar as well. I wasn’t that close with her, because my grandparents sort of raised me. It was still a shock though when she died. I still feel guilty, but no matter what we did to try to help her, she just didn’t want to try any type of long-term treatment. I do miss her even though we weren’t as close. I’m named after her actually. -Rachel, 19
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My father committed suicide when I was 4 years old. I don’t remember anything about him really. I only have 2 photos of him, and growing up my mother just refused to speak about him. She didn’t tell me for a long time how he died. I found out from another (distant) relative, and finally confronted her about it. I was upset for a long time and I just wanted answers she wasn't willing to give me. I think now that I’m older, I have been able to piece together things but I think my story isn’t all that uncommon in families. -Jamal, 22
Some days depression feels like an invisible hand holding my head down. I know the voice of despair lies to me, and I know my worries are unfounded, but some days the lies are very hard to resist, and I feel these brief, soul-crushing moments of despair. And then when I pull through these moments, I feel stronger, but I still fear the next barrage of despair. Once I started to wrestle with depression myself, my empathy increased dramatically. It is such a difficult thing to understand if you haven't experienced it. —Nathan 18
There’s a lot of people in my family that suffer from mental health issues. I grew up knowing from a young age that people in my family were a little different, but it was good because it made me more self aware and I think it made me a more helpful person. I am studying psychology now, and plan on being a psychologist. I think growing up around family members made me more interested in mental health and what I could do to help people who struggle with it. -James, 23
I used to get bullied in high school a lot, and didn’t have many friends. I was so depressed and thought about suicide a lot in school. After I graduated, I decided to really put myself out there when I came to college, and that’s why I joined a sorority. Now I feel like I’m part of a huge group of friends, and sometimes I doubt that people actually like me, but I know that’s probably just my past experiences coming back to haunt me. I deleted all my old high school classmates from social media. -Anonymous
When I was studying abroad, I heard that a close family friend had passed away. As I kept getting the news, I found myself starting to feel really empty and genuinely numb to the outside world. I was crying nearly every day and just felt a hopelessness that wouldn't go away. It was a strange feeling that I had never experienced before. During class, the only thing I could think about was getting back in my bed. It was like a constant rain cloud pouring down on me. —Anonymous
About 3 years ago I attempted suicide. Luckily I was unsuccessful. I was in a very dark place in my life and at that time, I felt like that was my only way out. I was completely broken, but I finally was able to get the help I needed and it’s been a long process picking up the pieces since then. I still have tough days and there are some days I hate my scars more than anything and wish they would disappear, but they are a reminder of where I have been- even if I hate them. -Sam, 23
Q: Is it typical for individuals to try numerous medications before finding one that works well for them?
Q: Can someone exhibit suicidal behavior without having depression?
Q: Do you find that individuals who come in for counseling services already have an idea that they might be depressed, or do they come in looking for a "diagnosis"?
Q: In general, as college students, are there different factors that affect depression, depending on where an individual is in their college journey (for example, freshman versus senior).
I think in general there are symptoms that can impact it, so your freshman year and your senior year let’s say, but when you really take in all the different facets, there could be a physiological component or a cognitive component- where your thoughts are anytime, there’s different stressors that might be something that could tip it more. So we often think of transitions as being times that could impact a student, for example, transitioning to a new environment or you’re transitioning out. It could be during the sorority/fraternity rush process that a student could be rejected and that could stem from something. I don’t say “oh you’re more likely at this point in time in your journey” because are so many factors that go into it and there isn’t any research that says in any one year a student is more likely to be depressed than the other. I think it varies. Sometimes people come in and say “I’ve been so depressed” and what they mean is “I’ve been so sad.” Sometimes they’re accurate and it truly does sound like they have clinical depression and then sometimes people say “I don’t know what’s going on and I wanna figure out what’s going on” and that’s really when we can kind of dive into the different things it might be: if it’s depression or depression with anxiety or whatever that might be. So it really does vary. It also does vary if people have received treatment before, even if it was for something else, they’re more likely to have a sense of what’s going on and so it depends. What the research shows is that predominantly depression can be a part of clinical depression but certainly sometimes there can be a lot of life circumstances in which a person could feel hopeless and that there is no other option. I think there’s always a situation for that but predominantly, it does tend to be a part of the picture of depression. I can’t be 100% of the time but it is very common. Certainly when you think of suicide often as I mentioned is someone that feels so hopeless that they can’t think of another solution or reason for living, and so again, very often there’s some sort of clinical disorder associated with that but there can be certain cases where there is not. One thing if you were to think of from the student perspective, if they were if they were to get expelled from University or have legal charges or something like that going on, then they could be they could feel like they’re losing everything and you’d would want to check in with how the student is responding to that, because that certainly can have more impact if they feel like you’re losing everything. This is so variable I would say that sometimes it is common that the first medication you’re on might not be the perfect fit for you. For some people they luck out and what they try first is a good fit- with other people, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes they either have side effects or they say they don’t like the way it makes them feel, and I say that if it sort of makes you feel numb that’s not what the medication supposed to do so talk with the doctor about trying another one. It depends on your current situation in your body chemistry and for some people that might be an easier process to find the right one. It might be the first time, and for other people they might need to play with the dosage or a different type of medication, so yes, I think that some people do try multiple meds and it also depends on the complexity of the issues. For some people it’s an easy process- for other people it might take some time.
An interview with Dr. Marie Shaw, Director of Counseling Services at Elon University
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It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. A novel that was inspired by Vizzini's own brief hospitalization for depression in November 2004. It centers around a clinically depressed teenager who gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales. Nearly a year after a failed suicide attempt, sixteen-year-old Elise discovers that she has the passion, and the talent, to be a disc jockey. And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard: Sent to an Amherst, Massachusetts, boarding school after her ex-boyfriend shoots himself, seventeen-year-old Emily expresses herself through poetry as she relives their relationship, copes with her guilt, and begins to heal.
13 Reasons Why - Netflix Show The series revolves around a high school student, Clay Jensen, and his friend Hannah Baker, a girl who takes her own life after suffering a series of demoralizing circumstances brought on by select individuals at her school. A box of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah before her suicide details thirteen reasons why she ended her life. Bojack- Netflix Show An American adult animated black comedy-drama series, that despite having a satirical take on current events, politics, and show business, is lauded for its realistic take on dealing with depression, trauma, addiction, self-destructive behavior, and the human experience.
1-800-273-8255 - song by Logic This song shows that suicide is never the answer to anyone’s problems. He wants people to know that there is always help available, like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, whose phone number is the title of this song. Hold On - song by Good Charlotte The band penned the song as a response to overwhelming fan letters they received which were snuck past security guards, or even passed to them through other bands. Red Eyes - song by The War on Drugs Adam Granduciel was struggling with depression when he wrote 2014 album ‘Lost In The Dream’, which features this song. “I’ve lived with it my whole life and I’ve realised what it is in the past year,” he said on its release.
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If you are experiencing signs of depression or contemplating suicide, please reach out to one of the resources listed, or a medical professional. Also, be sure to check with your university's local mental health services.
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