Wellesley Women Who Will Seek Treatment

wellesleyunderground:

Last Monday ended National Mental Health Awareness week. July marked Minority Mental Health Awareness (MMHA) month. Both of these have encouraged those of us suffering from mental health illness to “come out”, so that is what I am doing. I am currently recovering from a year-long bout of clinical depression. …

I am interested in this essay creating discussion for others who have dealt which cultural related stigmas surrounding mental health. I know I am not the only one who has had experiences like the ones I have described above. Further, for my Wellesley siblings, particularly those who dealt with mental health issues while at Wellesley: what are your thoughts on the way that mental illness is approached and discussed while at Wellesley and the wider Wellesley alumnae community? Wendy Wellesleys are known for being highly functioning over-productive achievers. Do we do a good job of seeking treatment when we need it? Does the fact that admitting you have mental health issues has traditionally been seen as a sign of weakness, impact how our community members approach the topic of mental health? I’d be interested in hearing thoughts on this topic.

While I was at Wellesley from 1992-96, I did become clinically depressed. A lot of this was due to my coming out issues, and luckily I was surrounded by friends who were also going through their own coming out experiences, so I wasn’t alone. I found very welcome and easily accessible support at the Stone Center, where a counselor referred me to a therapist that I wound up meeting with weekly in the town of Wellesley for several months. This therapist was life-changing for me, and she absolutely helped me come to terms with my identity and my clinical depression. 

While I’m aware that depression and other mental health issues are stigmatized in the Asian American community (I am Asian American), I’m lucky to be part of a Chinese American family that does not stigmatize mental health issues. My grandfather was a psychologist, for one thing. So, I don’t know that I can speak broadly to that aspect of it, but I can say that I truly valued the support I received at Wellesley during my depression.

Additionally, clinical depression tends to recur, and I did become seriously depressed again later in life. Because of the support I received at Wellesley, I recognized the symptoms and was able to seek treatment a second time.