November 16, 2015
Student breaks silence on lifelong struggle with depression
Hannah Gautreau is encouraging other students to speak openly about anxiety, depression and stress through a new Friendship Bench initiative
After more than a decade of hiding her severe depression, Hannah Gautreau finally reached out for help this past summer when she realized her life was at risk. She called Here 24/7, a crisis hotline, and was advised to seek immediate help.
After being admitted to Grand River Hospital, Gautreau was diagnosed with clinical depression and received treatment for the illness. Now, the Waterloo Engineering student is urging other students to break the silence about their own mental health struggles.
“Opening up and talking about mental health is one of the most powerful things we can do for people suffering from depression, anxiety, stress and other problems,” says Gautreau, a third-year management engineering student and president of Engineering Society (EngSoc) B.
“I’ve been suffering from depression for as long as I can remember,” says the Halifax native. “No one knows what it’s like unless you’ve gone through it yourself.”
Friendship Bench will encourage discussion about mental illness
Gautreau recently helped establish a Friendship Bench in the courtyard of Carl Pollock Hall on the University of Waterloo’s main campus. The bright yellow bench is part of a mental health awareness program created for secondary and post-secondary schools.
The initiative was co-founded by Sam Fiorella in memory of his son Lucas, a 19-year-old Carleton University student who took his own life last year after concealing his depression from family and friends much like Gautreau had done. Fiorella was on campus for the unveiling of Waterloo’s Friendship Bench which is intended for students to sit on to discuss any topic. Gautreau and Fiorella hope the yellow bench, the sixth to be installed in Canada, will also become a symbol for seeking help.
“Despite the number of efforts made by corporations, the government and universities, there is still a stigma around mental health,” says Fiorella. “Clearly there is a need for students to talk to each other, to pay attention to each other, and to become educated about what the signs are of mental health issues in yourself and in your peers.”
Mental health services on campus
One of Gautreau’s main objectives as EngSoc president this term is increasing awareness of the broad-range of the University’s mental health resources to help students cope with everything from depression to the challenges of being away from home for the first time. The University of Waterloo’s Counselling Services has relocated to the 2nd floor of the new Needles Hall expansion. Engineering Counselling Services has recently hired two more counsellors to meet with students one on one and to offer a variety of workshops and programs including new stress reduction drop-in sessions held on Tuesdays during the noon hour.
“Everyone deals with some type of mental health issue in their life,” she says. “I feel that the more people who are comfortable talking about the issues, the more it will break down the barriers and the more people will seek and receive the help they need.”
Where to go for help
- Students in crisis can call campus police 24 hours a day at (519)-888-4911 or call 911
- Students can also call 24-hour mental health support telephone lines in the Waterloo Region community.
- Students who require counselling or other kinds of mental health support can call the University of Waterloo’s Counselling Services.
