Famous sports broadcaster Michael Landsberg suffered from depression for 15 years.

For many students, depression is a harsh reality. We all have our issues to deal with, such as schoolwork, relationships and finances, but for some, the stresses of our personal lives can get the better of us and we fall into depression. We've all experienced it at some point in our lives. But like any other illness, including physical ones, it can be treated.

With willpower and a support system, depression can be defeated. Such is the story of Michael Landsberg, the host of TSN's Off The Record TV show. Sports nuts see him as a broadcast icon in the world of sports, but some now see him as a spokesman for an issue that affects many. Landsberg was this year's special guest at the Breakfast of Champions held in May at the London Convention Centre, and he shared his story of how he dealt with depression.

Landsberg was diagnosed with depression 15 years ago, something most people could never have predicted of the bubbly, enthusiastic sports-show host. But he was indeed depressed, like many are, and wanted to shed the proverbial light on the issue and empower people to seek help.

Before we can go any further, is it important to understand exactly what depression is. Sometimes we feel sad over a certain situation, and mistake it for being depressed, but there is a fine line between sadness and depression. Brett Batten was the Mental Health Champion Award recipient at the Breakfast of Champions and is a former patient of St. Joseph's Health Care London. He said that depression is more of a chronic issue. "Sadness will come and go, but depression is there and it doesn't change … When you're at a point where you're thinking of ending your life to escape the pain."

When asked to distinguish between sadness and depression, Landsberg painted a more black and white picture: "Take the biggest problem in your life and have it solved, would you feel better? And if the answer is no, that's depression ... when great things that happen don't help you."

Depression isn't the easiest thing to be open about, and Landsberg explained that it was fear that inhibited him from seeking help. "For 15 years I've suffered from depression all the time, and often quite seriously," he said. "I would say that for the first 12 years of my depression, in terms of television, I never shared it, because I never thought anyone would care."

One of the hardest things about dealing with depression is that those struggling with the mental illness can be good at putting on a mask and pretending they're okay, like Landsberg did. He's a prime example of how those who suffer can deceive, because during his period of tribulation, he was on a hit sports TV show, where nobody ever could have pointed out his suffering.

"If I'm not a great example of the mask, then who is?" he asked. "Because not one time after any of the shows that I did did someone say, 'Wow, you don't seem like yourself.' So the lesson is, just because the person that sleeps beside you, or your child, or your friend, or someone at work, just because you think they're okay doesn't mean they're okay, and I'm a great example of that because I fooled a lot of people for a long ime."

Anyone who has ever gone through a period of profound depression knows how difficult it is to take that first step: sharing. Batten was hospitalized with bipolar disorder when he was 15, and he suggested that students suffering with any mental illness should muster enough confidence to tell someone, and then things will start to get better. "I think the first thing is they need to get help. They have to reach out. For me, I pulled into myself and kind of ignored a lot of what was going on around me, but you need to find it in yourself to step out from that and reach out."

Sometimes we tell ourselves if we delay getting help, the suffering may subside, but Batten warned that the exact opposite will occur. "The longer is lasts, the worse it is. I think people need to reach out and get whatever help they can, and it may be just talking to your parents or to a friend, but make that first step and hopefully things will open up from there and you can end up where you need to be." Opening up can be tough, because of the stigma people with mental illnesses face. Landsberg said he wants this to change. "I think we have to create a world in people's homes, at work, wherever you are, that mental illness is not looked at as a weakness but as an illness, and then people will feel more comfortable to come out and share." He does have hope that one day things will change. "The more people talk about it, the better it is. Eventually, one day we'll get to the point where it's not thought of as being different than any other illness."

For those who suffer from depression, and any mental illness for that matter, Landsberg told them one thing: "Sick, not weak. Sick, not weak. I'm sick, but I'm not weak … I'm mentally ill, it's not my fault and it's not a weakness." Like treating a broken collarbone or a sore wrist, you can get better if you seek help. Mental illnesses are no different. The sooner you seek treatment, the sooner you can heal.

If you are suffering from depression or any mental illness, you can find help with Fanshawe's Counselling Services located in room F2010. You can call them at 519-452-4282, or reach them by email at counseling@fanshawec.ca.