Mike Garvey has no concept of what depression is, nor did his four years studying beside Kyle Ambrogi give him a grasp of this person's character beyond the football field and Latin classroom. The column Garvey composed lacked depth and sensitivity, and it offended readers still reeling from his death ("Effects of depression extend further than suicide," Nov. 11).

Garvey implied that the most salient reason to not kill one's self is the detrimental effects of suicide on others. He said, "Friends and family of the deceased need to recognize the potentially lethal effect suicide can have on them." That being said, once family and friends recognize this fact, what does Garvey propose these individuals do? These friends and family members deal with this situation instinctually. Hundreds of voices have expressed the impact of Kyle on their lives via an online tribute and through gathering in hordes to pay tribute at his funeral.

Instead of criticizing Kyle by stating that he ended his life "by his own hand," we should examine this tragedy and determine why it happened. The result can be a mass awakening to the reality of depression as a cryptic and deadly disease, worthy of our vigilance. Let us not reduce our interpretation of these events to an analysis of textbooks, experts and statistics.