With progressively inclement weather and new mutations of COVID-19, opportunities for Washington University students to safely socialize are becoming increasingly limited.

His struggles exemplify a situation where those close to someone going through similar problems should step in.

As I kept everything to myself, I began to resent the people around me. Everyone seemed so happy all the time. All I wanted was one day where I didn’t wake up with this unbearable heavy feeling.

Despite the smiling faces that grace the covers of our brochures and viewbooks, unhappiness certainly has an ominous presence on campus. I guess it isn’t completely surprising that this is such a common sentiment—after all, Washington University is an intensely high-pressure environment. It’s almost too easy to fall into the clutches of feeling inadequate, overwhelmed, lonely and everything in between.

Amreet Mohanty’s recent post on the “Washington University in St. Louis Class of 2015” Facebook group sparked widespread discussion on the state of mental health resources on campus. More than 60 students attended the Student Union Senate meeting last Tuesday, evidencing the student concern over Mohanty’s accusations of administrative negligence and abuse of power.

“I wasn’t doing as well as I could, and no matter how hard I was trying, I still couldn’t get things going the right way.” This freshman pre-medical student described his immense struggle to balance academic work and a social life upon entering Washington University—his intense feelings of inadequacy compounded by his parents’ inability to understand his struggles.

I’m glad to see the nation taking action on the issue of LGBT issues and bullying in general. I find it odd, however, that there has been little awareness of another similarity between these men, one that caused their deaths as surely as bullying did: they all had hidden battles with depression, a secret that eventually led to their suicides.

In the United States, suicide is the third leading cause of death among people from 15 to 24 years old. More than 3,900 young people die by committing suicide every year. Earlier this month, two students at Cornell University took their own lives by “gorging,” or leaping off a bridge into the vast gorges. The suicides have contributed to the perception that Cornell has a higher-than-average suicide rate.