“I never would have guessed that about her. The two had limited interaction up to that point, so Miles was just as surprised as her classmates when Kays, a PhD and licensed clinical psychologist, shared her own journey of depression with the class. That semester – the beginning of her junior year – Miles took a seat in Kristina Kays’ psychology class. “Then spring semester started, and I just went back down. Winter break came, and the stress let up for several weeks. It was really hard for me to get past that.” Being a psychology major, I knew the tactics. “My best friend got me to go to the counseling center and take my first steps in the right direction,” Miles says. Though Miles suspects that depression has affected her for several years, she was diagnosed only a year ago. It’s no easy thing for a psychology major to admit she needs mental help. “There’s a bunch of good ones, but there’s always the one or two negative ones I don’t want to read, so I’m just going to steer clear of all of them.” Professor’s story builds courage Though most comments are positive, lauding Miles for her transparency and courage, she has not read them. More than 42,000 comments – and that did not include the 1,000-plus messages in her Facebook inbox. Six weeks later the media buzz had quieted, but the number of people sharing her post had climbed to 357,844, with 42,360 comments. Celebrities like Ashton Kutcher and Zooey Deschanel even mentioned it on their own Facebook pages. Media outlets from the United States and the United Kingdom to Germany and Australia had told her story. Miles’ Facebook post was only intended for family and friends, but within days it had reached millions, starting a national conversation about depression.Įight days later, nearly 300,000 people had shared her post on Facebook, reaching millions. Posted by Bekah Miles on Sunday, August 23, 2015 I want you to hear me out.)Today, I am coming out. (Dear mom and dad, please don’t kill me over this permanent choice. But when she looks at the tattoo from her vantage point, viewing it upside-down, it reads, “Save me.” Fashioned as an ambigram (displaying different messages from different perspectives), the script inked just above her knee reads “I’m fine” to those looking at Miles. Miles posted two photos with her confession showing the tattoo, still swollen around the edges. Just an irrevocable step for an intelligent, introverted psychology major at George Fox University who wanted to help others, but discovered she has her own monster to battle – a battle that would gain international attention within days of her online post. Just a status update to friends and family. Then she walked away from Facebook, torn between chewing her fingernails down to stubs or shrugging her shoulders and insisting it was no big deal. Then she did what millions do every minute – she clicked the “post” button. But since that wasn’t going to change anytime soon, maybe it was time to change her approach. She was so tired of hiding, tired of pretending, tired of her illness.
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