It has been a rough start to the semester. Between hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, earthquakes in the Middle East and flooding and landslides in Central America, nearly everyone on campus has been touched by tragedy.
And the suicide of one of Penn's own, a football player suffering from depression, no less, has brought the devastation even closer to home.
It's a difficult time to think rationally. It's easy to get caught up in the negative and lose track of what's important.
What's important are family and friends, and taking care of each other. If there ever were a time to be extra diligent, it is now.
Be aware of the warning signs. Signals of depression include changes in work and eating habits, sleeping patterns, decreased interest in activities, alcohol or drug abuse and more.
Seek help immediately. There's no such thing as being too careful and no such thing as taking the warning signs too seriously.
There are myriad mental-health resources on campus, ranging from individual counseling sessions to getting confidential advice from your peers by telephone after business hours.
There is no shame in seeking help, for yourself or for your friends. It's easy for daily life at Penn to become overwhelming. But don't lose sight of the big picture. The worst thing that could come from this situation is for more people to lose hope. The loss of one of Penn's student athletes proves that depression knows no boundaries. Some good has to come out of tragedy, and the lessons of Kyle Ambrogi's death must be taken to heart.
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