Vicky Van Meter Dies at 26 Due to Suicide

Vicki Van Meter, who piloted a plane across the United States when she was merely 11 years old, died on Saturday.

In 1993, Vicki Van Meter flew a plane from Augusta, Maine to San Diego, with her flight instructor as the only passenger. In 1994, Van Meter flew from Augusta to Scotland.

Vicki Van Meter was found dead in her home on Sunday. She died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to the Los Angeles Times, her family knew she was struggling with depression, but thought she was coping with the condition, and said she refused anti-depressant medication.

Depression is a rather common condition among Americans today. In fact, according to the American Psychiatric Association, the lifetime prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder in adult males is 5-12%, and 10-25% for adult females in the United States.

I have suffered from depression, and I chose to utilize anti-depressant therapy in order to treat my depression. I developed depression when I was 16, and my doctor decided to put me on Zoloft. At the time, I was dealing with feelings of sadness, worthlessness, guilt, and shame, isolation, hopelessness, anxiety, and a lack of energy.

Zoloft was a helpful medication for me for about a year, but then it quit being effective. It helped me feel less anxious, reduced my crying spells, and helped me feel less hopeless. After that year, I went off to college, and decided to quit taking anti-depressants. However, college was a difficult transition, and I experienced a second major depressive episode. At this time, I was experiencing feelings of anxiety, hopelessness, guilt, shame, and irritability. I also isolated myself a lot from other people and had trouble concentrating.

My doctor tried Paxil, then Celexa to treat my depression, but neither of them were effective in doing so. In fact, Paxil made me very tired, even though I took it at night. I also experienced horrible nightmares while taking this medication. On Celexa, my anxiety actually became worse, and I began to have difficulty sleeping.