Cure Depression

          Alissa Steiner begins her call to arms against depression with an anecdote about her fellow college classmate's tragic death. This classmate, Nima, was a seemingly happy person with lots of talent and friends; he was a charismatic thespian, a passionate poet, and a fine musician. That is why everyone who knew him was shocked when they heard that he had committed suicide. Steiner implies that this abrupt and unexpected decision was possibly induced by depression, a mental illness that college students are especially prone to. She then forms her thesis by arguing in favor of investing more money and efforts towards providing efficient counseling services that combat depression so that fewer people would have to experience the trauma of losing beloved peers such as Nima.

           Steiner supports her thesis with expert opinions. She introduces Diana Hill, a doctoral intern for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), who stated that many teenagers often become depressed because they have to maintain a variety of "roles" and that they often lack support during their tenure as a college student. Hill emphasized the amount of workload that students are often burdened with and that this is what makes students such as Nima fall into depression. She also pointed out the fallacies of the counseling organization she works by lamenting that "The counselors here are very busy" and that "There are just not enough people here." Aside from Hill, Steiner introduces Hagar Liebermensch, a student who yearned for counseling. Liebermensch claimed that CAPS offers valuable sessions but "it is challenging to schedule appointments there." These testimonies from insider informants strongly supports Steiner's belief that there is a room for improvement in the counseling industry. If I were making this argument, I would not do it any differently than how she has.
           I believe that investing in improving counseling services will benefit society but it should not be fully dependent on such therapy. After all, depression is a complex illness; it takes more than an aspirin or a flu shot to get rid of it. A conversation with a stranger hardly seems like the ultimate cure either. This leads me to agree with Steiner's point that friends are vital to the rehabilitation process.
           My own personal experience exemplifies my belief in the importance of friendship. During my time in high school I had a friend who suffered from severe depression; she would sometimes slit her wrists and randomly burst into tears. That is why I would often avoid going to classes in order to be with her instead. Although I did nothing but stand by her side, I knew I was soothing her pain to some extent because she would always look so happy to see me. On the other hand, she always looked annoyed after one of the therapy sessions that she was forced to go to; she would always tell me it only added to her stress since she had to put on an act to be able to finish the "bullshit" session as soon as possible. Since the counselor had not been helping, had I not given her my moral support she would have had to cope with depression by herself. I cannot imagine how hard it must be to defend oneself from a powerful mental illness without any support. This is why I believe that having friends is an effective cure for depression.