More than 200 attend BHS presentation on depression, suicide

More than 200 people attended the Jan. 10 presentation on depression and suicide in the Belleville High School Auditorium.
The event featured Jeff Olson, who spoke without notes for about a half hour before the documentary film on depression and the suicide of his son Daniel.
After the film he spoke for another 15 minutes, urging people to, “Be kind to everyone because you don’t know what people are suffering.”
The presentation was set up by high school counselors after a series of suicides by students and members of the community. Hopefully, this would start a public conversation on the issue.
Olson spent Thursday morning with students at McBride Middle School and was scheduled to be at the high school with students on Friday.
Present in the audience Thursday night were the professionals Michael Berens and Kammi-Young Berens who created the documentary film.
Olson said the film was made because they wanted people to know there is hope. He said depression is medical illness that is treatable. He said it is a defect in the brain and things are not connecting. Negative thoughts go around and around in your brain. The person is unable to be happy.
He urged people who are suffering depression to ask for help and tell their feelings. He said doctors can give sleeping pills to help rest the brain. Sometimes counseling helps.
He said his son Daniel committed suicide July 19, 2012 after doctors told his parents that nothing was working and his suffering was increasing. They warned the parents to prepare themselves for the inevitable. But the family kept trying to keep him alive.
Daniel’s mother said she and Jeff did everything they could, but it didn’t work out as they had hoped.
“I’m Daniel’s voice,” said Jeff. “And, I’m telling you it’s treatable.”
The film tells the story of Daniel’s football dream of winning the state title for his father Jeff, the Ishpeming High School football coach. They got to Ford Field in 2010, but lost to Hudson.
Two years later, after Daniel’s death, Ishpeming won the state title over Detroit Loyola. The team did it for their coach, but also for Daniel and Derreck, another 2010 team member who had died.
Olson said his team won another state title in 2015.
Olson said anxiety and depression are an epidemic these days and people feel alone and afraid.
“One in four people will suffer from one sort of mental illness during their lifetime,” he said.
Olson recalled talking to his son, who was an accomplished athlete liked by everyone, about all the positive things in his life and what he had accomplished.
“If everything’s so great, why do I feel like this?” Olson said Daniel replied.
Daniel first noticed his depression in the sixth grade and fought it by himself for five years. In his junior year he was suicidal and he asked for help. They took him to the doctor who told them it was a very common medical illness that was treatable.
Three months later was his first suicide attempt, which left him in the hospital for three or four days. Olson said he and his wife didn’t tell anyone about the depression or the suicide. A year later, he had four days in the psychiatric ward after trying to kill himself. Then, he killed himself.
Olson said while he and his wife were deciding what to put in the obituary, they decided, absolutely, they were going to tell people what happened and try to educate people.
He said there are no blood tests, x-rays, or high temperatures with which to diagnose depression, which is treatable through several techniques and patience is required.
For the past two years he has been giving the presentations to educate people and he wants to take the story to every high school in the country. He said he has received feedback from young people who tell him that they know he understands what they are going through. Some have said the presentation saved their lives.
He said had they talked about it earlier, Daniel would have said, “I have depression,” and get help. “I don’t have to feel ashamed.”
Olson invited the public to go on Do It for Daniel on You Tube, where people tell how the presentation helped them, and the doitfordaniel.com web site for more information.