Are You Depressed?

     More than 234 Texas Southern University students and faculty participated in the National Depression Screening Day held October 8, 2009 in the Sterling Student Center.
  
      The event was sponsored by the University Counseling Center, and they were accompanied by the Counseling Education and Psychology Department’s graduate interns.
    
     Holly A. Lee-Lipkins, the Director of Counseling said the event was “a huge success,” Lee-Lipkins also said “My first National Depression Screening Day (NDSD) event at TSU occurred during my first 2.5 months of employment in 2007 at which we celebrated the completion of 50 screenings. We have come a long way in a very short period of time and there are many people and departments to thank for this.”
    
     Student leaders such as the Student Government Association, University Program Council, the Yearbook Committee, and the Herald Newspaper, set an example for their peers and participated in the screening.
  
      Ndukaku Okereke, a senior, accounting major, said “I feel 100 percent mentally healthy.”

     Okereke appreciated the efforts of the UCC, since he has been silently battling his depression, and has recently sought help after having thoughts of suicide.

     “I was able to see progress through my battle with depression, because my results showed up clear of all depression related signs” Okereke said, and he is proud to say that his medication and counseling sessions have positively affected him and are leading him down the road to recovery.

     Stories like the one of Okereke are exactly what Malorie Brewster, a junior student helper for the UCC, like to hear.

     Brewster said “The screening will help students come together as one to know more about what’s going on with them in their lives as well as their heritage.”

     The screening featured questions that inquired about each participant’s alcohol intake and behavioral patterns.

     “People should know about themselves and what they are doing as far as their future because alcohol can be a big problem, and if they feel that drinking is an issue, they are welcome to come free of charge.” Said Brewster.

     Those who participated in the screening were awarded with a NDSD t-shirt and were provided with a plethora of on-campus and community resources to assist or answer any questions about depression and behavioral concerns, and any further questions or assistance needed can be aided by contacting any of the counselors or workers in the University Counseling Center in the Fairchild Building, Suite 147 ext. 1113.