LETTER: Helping Others

I did not know Steven Ochs, but from what I gleaned from an article about his recent death (DP 3/20/92), he seems to have been an accomplished and ambitious person. One tends to wonder in disbelief, why would someone young and compassionate choose to end his own life? It was stated that he endured bouts of depression in high school, as well as in college. I myself have experienced alternating periods of mania and severe depression. Throughout college I have had to repeatedly withdraw on account of recurring periods of hopelessness and extreme self-doubt, which blinds me from recognizing any worth or potential in my life. Often I feel that I am all alone and that no one on this campus has felt as emotionally paralyzed as I have. Steven Ochs did not have to die. I am shocked and saddened by his unnecessary death. Depressed individuals who seriously contemplate suicide but eventually recover cannot help but recall their former desire with horror and relief, relief that they did not carry out their intentions. I believe that a mental health awareness week should be organized for the benefit of all students, accompanied by articles in The Daily Pennsylvanian on various forms of mental illness common among those aged 18 to 24. The University's School of Medicine boasts an outstanding Department of Psychiatry and other centers specializing in depression and related issues, such as the Center for Cognitive Therapy, which may prove to be good resources. Perhaps if students suffering from depression and other forms of mental illness are assured that they are not alone and that their intense sadness can be alleviated, tragic and unthinkable suicides may be averted. AISHA O'CONNOR College '93