As former editor of the Graphic, some may think my bias toward the newspaper would be overly supportive and forgiving. Quite to the contrary, because of the high standards I know the Graphic is capable of meeting, I am very critical of the paper I pull from my mailbox every week. (I am on the Graphic’s weekly waiting list).
So please do not discredit my praise for Meredith Rodriguez’s article “Beating the Blues.” I was truly unaware that she was capable of crafting such an important article. Not only is the topic so crucial right now, especially on college campuses, but the style in which she displayed the information was truly inspiring.
Currently, I am knee deep in research, working on an enterprise story for my newspaper, The Porterville Recorder, about mental health issues on college campuses — the numbers are absolutely exploding. And to open the paper and see the Graphic had beat me to it, nearly brought a tear to my eye, not only because I think it’s important as a reporter, but because I struggle with the issues addressed in the story.
Just days after the end of my junior year at Pepperdine, I awoke in the middle of the night with a panic I had never experienced in my life, I truly thought I had gone insane.
I experienced an eight-hour panic attack, and my last summer as a college student was plagued with anxiety, depression and literally, sheer terror. The feelings are absolutely indescribable — you find yourself thinking thoughts you never thought your brain was capable of producing.
I had thrived on stress, as captain of the water polo team, editor of the newspaper, a decent student with plenty of friends, I knew who I was, what I wanted to do and how I would live my life. When I developed panic disorder, everything changed. I didn’t think I’d be able to return to school, I had to quit the team, and I vacillated over how to tell my staff that I’d be stepping down. But with the help of one of my journalism teachers, who I credit with saving my life, I got help. I found out how common the disorder was, got into therapy and started taking Zoloft and Xanax so I could go to class. My body and my brain were trying to tell me to slow down, but I didn’t listen.
It took a severe panic attack to get through to me. It’s still hard for me, and I still take medicine every day, but I never feel like I’m not going to make it.
That’s the message that is so important in Rodriguez’s article. The No.1 medication on campus isn’t for acne or preventing babies, even though almost everyone is breaking out and having sex. Even more people are struggling. Look around — even the people who are smiling are dealing with anxiety, depression and other stress-related disorders. Suicide has just moved up to the No. 2 cause of death for people our age.
As Rodriguez pointed out, the stigma surrounding mental issues is decreasing, and we have so much more help available to us then in the past.
Thank you so much, Meredith. A story written any other way could have discredited these disorders, trivialized college stress or worse, alienated its victims. You have done such a service to Pepperdine’s campus, and as your former colleague, but more importantly, a sufferer, I commend you for your excellent writing and well-supported information.
These are the type of stories that will make you great, not only because your talent shines through your words, but because your heart does, too.
None of us will ever know how many people you helped by writing this story, but I guarantee you, it’s more than you think.
Joann Groff
Seaver Graduate ‘05
11-17-2005