Michelle van der Merwe | BSc Earth Science III [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]
I’ve been in Stellies since 2015 and I’m currently doing my “third year two-point-oh”. This despite being academically capable and in love with geology (ask anyone about my rock collection). People often get wide eyed and awkward about delayed graduation - the assump
tion is that it is somehow shameful or as a result of being lazy. The truth is I needed to take a break to figure out how to handle my long-time companions - severe depression, anxiety, and PTSD - without losing who I was at heart (which sounds lame, I know). I’ve tried to use my own experiences to help other people understand theirs as far as possible. Which is partially why mental health awareness is so important to me. People often assume mental health issues are made up, that it’s something only privileged people get to “indulge” in or that the stigma surrounding mental health is anything other than utter bullshit. The truth is anyone can get depressed or be anxious or experience something traumatic that alters their brain chemistry. That’s something people need to be aware of - which is why I try to write and talk about it as much as possible. People should know that there’s always help, hope and understanding out there. For individuals and their loved ones.