Noted clinical psychologist and expert on depression to lecture at Vassar on March 27.

Martha M. Manning, clinical psychologist, expert on depression, and author of numerous books, will give a talk entitled "Both Sides Now: A Psychologist's Professional and Personal Experience with Depression" at Vassar College on March 27. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place in Rockefeller Hall, Room 200, at 5:30pm and will be followed by a book signing.

Before her first bout with a major depression, Martha Manning was happy and healthy, a wife, mother, professor, and psychotherapist. Her depression began in 1990 with no specific cause and within months became so severe that she was suicidal. Neither the love of her family, nor the support of her therapist, nor the exhaustive drug treatments administered by her psychiatrist succeeded in stemming the tide of her illness. Finally, on her therapist's recommendation, she decided to try ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), a course of six shock treatments under anesthesia. Manning believes that this controversial treatment saved her life.

In the wake of her illness, she published a widely praised memoir, "Undercurrents: A Life Beneath the Surface," based on the journal she kept over the course of her illness. Since then, she has published numerous books and articles on clinical depression and issues related to mental illness, has won awards for her work in combating the stigma of mental illness, and has appeared on national talk shows and TV news magazines.

Dr. Manning's lecture is part of the Steven Hirsch '71 and Susan Hirsch Disability Awareness Lecture Series at Vassar and is sponsored by the Office of Disability and Support Services.

For more information, call the Vassar College Department of Disability and support Services at (845) 437-7584. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Cathy Jennings, Office of Campus Activities, (845) 437-5370, as far in advance as possible to request reasonable and appropriate accommodations for the event.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Thursday, March 27th, 2003.