Jamie Tworkowski stressed the importance of finding a positive support group for depression sufferers Monday at a talk hosted by the Student Activities Board.
Tworkowski, the founder of the nonprofit organization To Write Love on Her Arms, said he created the idea for the charity after hearing the story of a stranger suffering from depression.
Tworkowski started by posting the girl’s story to MySpace, but he is now giving talks around the country.
Maurice Kirksey, chairman of the Trending Topics Committee of the SAB and political science sophomore, said Tworkowski was chosen to speak as a response to the suicide at the Life Sciences building last spring.
  Video: Tworkowski speaks at LSU
 
Kirksey said the event filled the University’s need for depression awareness.
The event was paid for by student fees, according to Kirksey.
The major theme of the talk in the Student Union Theater was the need to express oneself when dealing with difficult issues.
Denny Kolsch, a counselor with the organization, talked about his depression and his reliance on heroin. Kolsch said it wasn’t until a friend of his expressed his love and concern that he decided to become sober.
Kolsch, who said he is seven-years sober, stressed his continuous struggles with anxiety, but said it is the supportive group of people he is around that helps him get through his moments of weakness.
“Humans need each other. To think that we could live isolated … we’re fooling ourselves,” Kolsch said. “We were never designed to live alone.”
The event featured a personal Q&A session, which gave students a chance to express how they were feeling.
Different students discussed their own experiences with depression, whether they were dealing with it or helping a friend.
The Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center was present at the event and offered its support for students dealing with difficult issues.
Moriah Graham, international studies freshman, asked Tworkowski how to stay positive when trying to support another person.
Tworkowski said it was important to remember the need to provide for oneself and get one’s own support group when helping others fight through depression.
 
“Even though people aren’t having uniform experiences, there’s a community spirit there to support you,” Graham said following the discussion.
Tworkowski said the organization has responded to more than 160,000 messages asking for help from more than 100 different countries. More than $800,000 has been raised to find help for people suffering from depression, Tworkowski said.
“Maybe this isn’t about how you wear your hair or what music you listen to. … Maybe it’s not about the labels we put on things. … Maybe it’s about being human,” Tworkowski said about depression.
 
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