On Jan. 17 UD senior Ben Mushalko was found dead in his Brown Street apartment by Public Safety in what the Montgomery County Coroner's Office is calling an apparent suicide. This loss of a UD student has put sorrow in the hearts of many and puts the topic of depression at the forefront of conversation.

Dr. Steven Mueller, assistant vice president and director of counseling services, has hopes that students and faculty are willing to take on the task of watching out for each other to avoid tragic deaths like that of Mushalko. The first step in doing this is knowing the signs of depression.

One main, telltale sign of depression is being consistently down and upset. This doesn't mean once in awhile or surrounding one event, but on a regular basis, Mueller said. There are many physical signs that indicate depression as well, including lack of concentration, trouble focusing and altered eating habits. Other things to look for include signs of hopelessness, helplessness or simply verbalizing that life is not worth living.

Depression can lead to suicide, which is why knowing signs of potential suicide are extremely important, Mueller said. High anxiety is one indicator. Others include someone talking about hurting themselves, if they have a preoccupation with death or dying, if they start giving away personal stuff or if they start to say their goodbyes.

Also be aware of their past history. If someone has previously attempted suicide, it increases their chances of attempting it again, Mueller said. Other times people may do reckless things which seem harmless, but can be a sign for something more serious. With all of these signs, both for depression and suicide, it is important to know that one sign standing alone without repetition or accompanied by other indicators means it is less likely the person is depressed or suicidal.

"None of these things in and of themselves indicate that depression or suicide is imminent," Mueller said. "It's when you get a combination of them or a number of them showing up. The important thing when deciphering these signs is consistency."

If a person does seem to be suffering, don't let the awkward feeling of confrontation be a deterrent from helping them. It may be tough, but reaching out to that person and being a friend is the best thing to do and follows the Marianist values taught daily at UD.

"You acknowledge the awkwardness, but just because it's awkward you don't want to tuck it away and forget about it," Mueller said. "We need to respect others and look out for others, and reach out to them. That can be anything from making a comment about if they're okay or a more loving confrontation saying 'I'm concerned about you I don't like that you keep saying that.' More likely than not they're going to downplay it, but still continue to look and check back with them down the road make sure they know you haven't forgotten about them."

When confronting, one thing Mueller emphasized was not diagnosing, saying 'You seem depressed,' but instead asking 'What's going on, are you okay?' This makes talking about it less defensive and much more comfortable.

If help is needed either for yourself or someone else, know you're not alone. UD has many resources along with those around you.

"Talk to campus ministers in your building or come talk to someone at [the] Counseling Center," Mueller said. "[You can also] mention it to your parents, teachers or friends. Call in reinforcements if you start to get concerned about a friend."

It's unfortunate that a student's death is the catalyst for support between members of the community, but now is a better time than ever to be there for each other.

"We're all going through some sort of grieving," Mueller said. "We grieve in our own ways, that's a normal process. But also we want to learn from this. It's time to make sure we reach out and help people so it doesn't happen again. This isn't the answer. People are here to help and there are other ways to cope."