Year: 3rd Year Medical Student
Major: Medicine
Without getting the help I needed for my mental health, I wouldn’t be where I am today as a third-year medical student. This has been a long journey for me—I experienced loss as a teenager in my closest grandfather and a friend that died by suicide, which is a lot for a young person to handle. I felt that I was coping by suppressing most things under the surface because I had to—I was valedictorian, I played high level soccer, I had a great family, and a good life.
Years later, I was playing collegiate soccer and I had an allergic reaction during season that required me to take a steroid to calm the response. This caused me to have an intense, horrifying anxiety-ridden attack that lasted over two weeks. It seemed as if everything I had gone through was coming out all at once.
I confided in my athletic trainer who led me to our sports doctor and a psychologist to help me get back on track. After missing a couple weeks of school, I felt embarrassed, and I didn’t know how to explain what was happening to me. I learned of an organization called Athletes Against Anxiety and Depression. This was the first time I realized I wasn’t alone, and I decided at that point that I wasn’t afraid to talk about what happened.
Since I have been in medical school, I’ve faced stressors and adversity, most notably the loss of my stepdad last year. I could not have endured these challenges without the support and coping strategies I’ve received from the mental health services at IU. Through my experience, I’ve learned that reaching out for help is not an act of weakness, but it is an act of courage.