Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Depression On The Rise In College Students
NPR: "Researchers say severe mental illness is more common among college students than it was a decade ago, with most young people seeking treatment for depression and anxiety. A study presented at the American Psychological Association found that the number of students on psychiatric medicines increased more than 10 percentage points over the last 10 years.
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4 comments:
I understand where they think depression gets worse because its a students first time away from home, but i think there are much bigger reasons. The thing that drives me crazy about society today is the amount of how much parents shelter their children. i feel like that sheltering is turning children soft and when they go to college some aren't prepared for living a non-sheltered
life without parents by their sides doing everything for them and fixing their problems.
in the past 10 years not only have high school special ed programs have gotten better, like they say in the article, but censoring when it comes to children have also gotten worse.
I agree with Devrie that although leaving home for the first time can have negative effects on students, those dealing with depression are dealing with many other issues. Increased workloads, eating disorders, the pressure of making new friends, and something as simple as heartbreak can lead to depression in college students.
The article does a good job of educating the reader on the warning signs of depression. Unfortunately it is all too common the stories of young people taking their lives and those around them claiming that "They seemed happy, nothing looked wrong". Yes, in some cases the presence of depression is blatantly obvious but the danger lies in those who are able to hide it, with only a seemingly harmless change in behavior as a cry for help.
Suggesting counseling to those who seem to be suffering from depression is an important act, but it is also necessary to provide some comfort of your own. This way, not only is the depressed student recieving needed professional help but they have a familiar and caring friend to help them along the way to recovery.
The life of a person is something to be cherished and I consider it an obligation as a human being to provide comfort and support to those in need of it. A simple act as just being someone who will listen to them can make a person who is dealing with depression remember that warmth, compassion, and understanding are still present in society and that they are not alone.
It also seems to me that minor issues you carried at home are hugely magnified at college. With work, strange sleep patterns, trying to make new friends, adjusting to a new life entirely. Every comfort you had at home is gone. Everything that cumulatively defined your life is gone. And even if you're making new friends and finding new "norms" you still feel alone and somewhat homeless.
Seeing a therapist is probably greatly helpful because while your relationships are constantly shifting and changing in school, at least you have that one consistent relationship.
Even a small rough patch can get out of control when you don't have anyone around who knows you well enough to say the right things.
Although most teachers are very understanding about students suffering from depression, I feel that many often overlook the affect that depression can not only have a student's behavior but on their schoolwork. As the article says, common symptoms are losing interest in topics that usually are favored by the person. Here at the School of Drama, at least in my opinion, people are here because they want to be here however if hit by depression, a student falls behind drastically when conflicted by the understanding that this is such a desired program and area of interest. If only there were a light switch for depression, what a brighter (no pun intended ) world it would be, but where would our creativity go?
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