In mid-August, the Dartmouth community was rocked with news that Katie Cullinan, a recent graduate, had committed suicide in Santa Barbara, California where she was studying for the summer.

“How could this happen?” was undoubtedly the question asked most by her family and friends after hearing the tragic news, and “how can it be prevented?” was one likely pondered by her former school administrators.

While the latter largely remains a conundrum, school administrators intend to proactively reach out to students suffering from depression during the upcoming semester.

The Dartmouth reports:

In a previous interview with The Dartmouth, Director of Counseling and Health Services Mark Reed estimated that there are two to three suicide attempts by students each term. Crady urged students dealing with depression or suicidal thoughts to utilize the mental health resources available.

 

“Any student who feels the need to speak to a counselor, psychiatrist or psychologist should certainly seek out help at Dick’s House,” he said. “The stigma of doing that is much less than it was 10 years ago.”

Hopefully, the College’s initiative is successful.

If anyone knows someone who is depressed, please encourage them to come forward. They are not alone, and administrators are ready to do everything they can to help.