Judith Robinson, a former Oxford student who has overcome depression, ran the London marathon to raise awareness of mental health issues on campus and support the Students Against Depression website.
As a student reading for a Math degree at Balliol, Judith said: “ I felt like I was sad all the time, I felt like I was letting my friends down when I didn’t feel capable of going out.”
The Students Against Depression website, which provides an online community for those in higher education affected by depression, has put Judith on the road to recovery. As she notes, “it’s brilliant. It contains the most cohesive and coherent explanations and discussions about depression that I’ve seen anywhere.”
Consequently, Judith ran the Marathon to support other students experiencing her condition and raise money for the website that has helped her overcome depression.
Judith’s marathon run was met with unanimous acclaim from Oxford students and members of the University’s administration. An Oxford University spokesman told Cherwell: “we congratulate Judith on completing her run and the way she is supporting others who are struggling with depression.”
A former Welfare Officer at St Cross concurred, stating, “Judith receives our upmost commendation for supporting such a noteworthy cause and serving as a role model for students in similarly difficult circumstances that she once was at Oxford.”
Likewise, an OUSU representative said, “I am proud of Judith for championing her cause and raising awareness for mental health issues on campus.”
Oxford University provides a wide range of support for students battling depression, including college, university, Student Union, and NHS primary care services. As an Oxford University spokesman explained: “we care deeply about the welfare of our students and these systems of support, at both college and University level, are some of the most comprehensive of any university.”
He went on, “students with diagnosed and enduring mental illnesses can access study support from a team of specialist mentors – all of whom are qualified psychologists, psychotherapists, or counsellors – through the Disability Advisory Service. If students prefer to talk to someone outside the University they can find information on local services through the Oxford Student Mental Health Network.”
Despite the presence of a comprehensive support system, however, depression and its associated factors continues to remain statistically significant. A comprehensive study on suicide rates at Oxford conducted by Hawton et al. has shown that, between 1976 and 1990, 21 Oxford students took their lives and there were a further 254 attempted suicides.
A graduate student from St Cross commented, “Though there is a degree of social acceptance to discuss depression at Oxford, most of the immediate networks are peer-centred, with little professional experience to deal adequately with the issue. Moreover, these networks are predominantly undergraduate-focused and even university-wide awareness campaigns, such as OUSU’s Mind Your Head, have not effectively tapped into the graduate space.”
He went on: “as a result, I greatly support Judith’s efforts to underscore the seriousness of depression on campus and bring the matter to a wider audience.”
