Pag January 29 ; readily acknowlei ^rong to have the l regulator meet ; at a White How led by Democratic t May. But he said l improper abouthi , or that of Treasui trt Rubin. >ic bombi'n :t sues papi (AP) — Richard Ji d The Atlanta Joum the college whereI) i security guard, ao el in linking him] ibing. awsuit, which seel mages, accuses the traying him in itsstm a bizarre employma aberrant personal ilty of placing the tx« iries quoted Piednw it RayCleereasdesc aadge-wearing zealot epic police reports: is,' the lawsuit saic, The Battalion Aggielife Page 3 Wednesday • January 29, 1997 Ailment affects 20 percent of A&M students Highs & Lows lb day's Expected hj 50°F (might's ExpectedU 34°F : Tomorrow's fiped High j 56°F | Tomorrow Nights Expected Low 37°F :ion courtesy ofM 'dij yl bn in during nmerlH gram! By Melissa Price The Battalion A t first George Hirsch (not his real name) thought he was just sick. He [jLwas never hungry and he always felt ircd. I lowevcr, when most people were Qiind asleep, Hirsch was still wide awake. But it was not the flu or any other iliysical illness that had Hirsch singing UeMues — \t was depression. Hirsch, a sophomore construction sci ence major who was diagnosed with mi nor depression in December 1995, is pai% of the 20 percent of Texas A&M students who suffer from depression. Hirsch said he always felt like he was under emotional and physical pressure. “I just felt like someone was standing on my chest the whole time,” 1 lirsch said. Ted Stachowiak, associate director of Student Counseling Services at A&M, said depression is generally defined as a state of sadness in which a person usual ly experiences diminished pleasure in all activities. People with depression with- draw themselves from others and have feelings of loneliness and/or worthless ness. Stachowiak said depression can be triggered by either a traumatic event in a person’s life, or a biological cause. Stressful events such as starting or graduating from school, beginning a new job or having a baby can cause a person to experience depression. Stachowiak said people suffering from depression should seek help as soon as they realize they have a problem. “If a person finds themselves not be ing able to cope with their depression, some sort of intervention is needed," Sta chowiak said. “The sooner you get in for help, the easier it will be to overcome.” In a recent study conducted by the University of Northern Iowa, re searchers found that over half of the people in the study diagnosed with ma jor depression had self-esteem prob lems and dysfunctional attitudes. The study also found depression is two times more common in women than in men. Stachowiak said it is important to remember more women than men tend to report feelings of depression. Hirsch, who used to be in the Corps of Cadets, said although he always seemed to spend time studying or shining boots, he didn’t really have the desire to spend time with his friends. “I didn’t want to be around people, but I would feel better when I did go out and do something,” Hirsch said. “But the depression comes back when you’re by yourself; the rooms are so bare — it’s like a jail cell.” The Helpline, a 24-hour recorded in formation line sponsored by the Student Counseling Service, provides students with information on depression, rela tionship issues and other issues affecting students. The HelpLine said everyone ex periences some form of depression at some time in his or her life, such as feel ings resulting from the break-up of a re lationship or the death of a loved one. But Hirsch, for example, suffers from clinical depression. Clinical depression dif fers from feelings of everyday depression in that the symptoms continue for months or years and grow worse over time. Stachowiak said people who are clin ically depressed experience isolation, feelings of guilt, self-critical thoughts, and problems concentrating. “They’ll read a textbook for an hour and have no idea what they’ve just read,” See Depression, Page 5 Disease shouldn't generate stereotypes Dlarship E veryone has bad days. Cnnrt But for some, bad " days are more the rule han the exception. With the stress of classes md work, many college stu- Jents go through phases of bad days, months and some times entire semesters. Although some students are able to overcome these Kristii bad times, others are mired Senior n what is clinically termed '■ depression.” Oftentimes, ~~ these students do not know they are Jepressed or if it is severe enough to ;eek outside help. I am one of these students. For the ast year and a half, I have gone Sports Editor Kristina Buffin Senior journalism major y-. r through a phase where I have lost interest in and focus on things in my life. I thought I was just experi encing the blues or having a string of bad semesters. I could not put a finger on what I was feeling, and when peo ple asked me what was wrong, I could not explain what I was tiffin feeling. It is hard to explain alism something to others you can not explain to yourself. It was not until recently I decided enough was enough. 1 was sick of always being in a bad mood and not feeling positive about life. My parents had become increasingly worried and suggested I talk to a pro fessional counselor. My first thought was, “A shrink? Only crazy people need go to psychologists.” But I finally decided it couldn’t hurt and it might even help to talk with someone li censed to deal with people who experi ence symptoms of depression. With the help of my psychologist, I was able to sort through what had been going on for th0§st year and a half and give it a name: clinical depression. Depression. It was a foreign word to me. 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