Aimee Belisle

I am a former Miss Rhode Island and my platform was depression awareness. I am a member of the American Psychiatric Association’s Presidential Task Force on Mental Health on College Campuses.

When I was a junior in college, I started to have difficulties. I was crying a lot, I felt moody, I didn’t eat. I lost a lot of weight, and I slept a lot. I was irritable. I was clueless about what was wrong with me.

A friend of mine noticed that I was not doing well and called the college counseling center. Having gotten over the initial obstacle of making an appointment, I willingly submitted to actually going to that appointment. The clinician and I discussed my treatment options. I agreed to do therapy and take medication. It took me about a year and a half with therapy to really feel like myself again, but then I was able to stop going to treatment for the time being.

Today, I am once again under treatment, but I look at this time in a much more positive light. I know now what depression is and that it can be recurring throughout someone’s lifetime. But I also know that it can be treated very effectively. I don’t consider myself a sufferer anymore, even though I am in treatment.

As Miss Rhode Island, I had the privilege to promote Depression Awareness as my platform because it was something that I had gone through and could really connect with people about. My message to people is that you need to recognize depression, collaborate, and stick with treatment.

Stephanie Prechter

My first severe depressive episode took place a couple of months into my first semester at Georgetown University. I initially thought my out-of-character mood was due to homesickness.

Unfortunately for me, as time went on, things became worse. I had to withdraw from Georgetown and take a medical leave of absence.

Coming out of the depression was like waking up from a dream. I went back to Georgetown in September 1999 and essentially started over again. Life was nearly perfect for the next two years until my dad became depressed and ultimately took his own life. I responded to this devastating tragedy by becoming manic. My thoughts were literally driving me crazy, to the point where I had to find help. Once I found a doctor, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

My experience with manic depression has given me incredible insight and a genuine understanding for those who suffer with a mental illness. It is with this knowledge and sensitivity that I hope to make a difference in the way others view mental health and help those who suffer with a mental illness find their way out of the darkness.