News Release
November 2002
(Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)- Author and educator Sandra
Rothenberger will lead a candid discussion on clinical depression, Monday,
November 11, from 5:00-6:30 pm. in Zinzendorf Hall, lower level. Rothenberger
will discuss her book, Branded Depressed, which describes her struggle
with manic depression. Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology
at Moravian College is sponsoring the talk, which is free and open to
the public.
Rothenberger has held lectures at colleges and universities
around the country to educate college communities about depression.
Rothenberger will focus mainly on her own story, but she will also give
information on types of depression, treatments for depression, and the
mental health system in the United States.
Branded Depressed (February 2001) recounts the journey
of Rothenberger as a manic depressive. Starting from the very beginning
of her illness, the book details everything from the decline of her
marriage to her attempted suicide. Rothenberger explains her “new
world” of psychotherapy and testing while offering hope and information
for those who currently suffer from this illness. This book is a result
of her psychotherapy sessions in which she used writing as an outlet
for her depression.
Rothenberger was misdiagnosed as a hypochondriac when
she was 17 years old. It was not until she was 40 years old that she
was hospitalized for depression and found to have bipolar disorder.
For the past three years, Rothenberger has been free of depressive episodes.
She is currently 53 year old and lives in Harleysville, Pennsylvania.
She attended a junior college in Philadelphia before attending Ursinus
College at night, earning the equivalent of a BA. She is currently employed
as a Literature Technician by a fortune 500 pharmaceutical company as
well as owning a small book publishing business.
