Depression Among College Students An Essay

Depression among college students, with a focus on Freshmen.

Who is at risk, and what can be done?

Graduation time rolls around, and you already know where you will end up next year for college. Your two best friends will be joining you there, where you will all live in the same apartment complex. You have already put your first payment, and deposit in preparation. Now you wait.

When the time comes around, you pack up and move thousands of miles just to go to college. You haven't heard from either of your friends yet, and you can feel the anticipation welling in your gut. You are so excited, you haven't heard from them all summer. Then you find out they never came. Both decided on going to a different college without you, or telling you. You keep telling yourself you will cope, and make new friends, but you still feel lonely and rejected. Once you are actually in college, things are harder than you expected. You don't have a car, so it is harder to get around buying food, finding a bank, and getting school supplies. Often times you find yourself taking naps, or just sleeping, because you can't focus, or feel overwhelmed. One of the many signs of depression.

Money is tight, and you don't have a job, because you can't find any job openings within walking distance, you are afraid to ride the bus, because it is such a big city, compared to the one you came from. You biggest fear is getting lost, and not being able to make it home.

You often times feel overwhelmed by homework and such. You can never do it quite good enough, and are often times to shy to ask for help, so you sit in silence, confused, and helpless, like a grain of sand on a beach. Not noticed and not much potential.

This is the story of a college freshman. Probably many. That guy who sits next to you in math class, struggling with theorems, or that girl in your chem. class, under pressure to learn her Periodic Table of Elements. Who ever it is, they are there.

Depression effects 76 out of a 100 college students. Mainly freshmen entering a new world so to speak. Often times you won't see it right away or not at all. This is an age group that's tricky, states a psychologist at Davidson College in North Carolina, DeWitt Crosby said, They are adults by law, but they're still dealing with making decisions on their own.

More attention is spent on alcohol consumption, and crimes among students, so that little energy or money is left for the awareness or the treatment of mental health. Often times the only funding is for counselors who will perform ? scattershot therapy. They don't actually treat what is wrong, but try to cover many possibilities of what could be wrong within a short period of time.

USA TODAY states in a recent study 14% of the 701 students who took a survey in the Boston area showed significant symptoms of depression, and over half of them could qualify as having major depression. If treatment of the depression was sought, at least 80% would get better.

The National Survey of Counseling Center Directors reported an 85% increase in severe psychological problems over the past five years. Also 30% reported at least one student suicide on their campus within the last (2001/2002) school year.

A hard part in treating depression is recognizing it. Some major symptoms of depression as told by www.campusblues.com are as follows.

1.Sadness, anxiety, or empty feelings
2?Decreased energy, fatigue, being slowed down
3.Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities
4.?Sleep Disturbances (insomnia, oversleeping, or waking much earlier than usual)
5?Appetite and weight changes (either loss or gain)
6?Feelings of hopelessness, guilt, and worthlessness
7?Thoughts off death or suicide, or suicide attempts
8?Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or remembering
9?Irritability or excessive crying
10 ?Chronic aches and pains not explained by another physical condition

It's normal to have these feelings at one time or another, but five or more, for a two week or longer period is something to pay attention too. Also watch for changes in the way the person functions. The anxiety is normal in college, when you are studying for classes, or preparing to take a test, but when it rules your life, and they way you think and act is a time to seek help and gain control again.

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What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. But there is good news: bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives.

More than 2 million American adults, or about 1 percent of the population age 18 and older in any given year, have bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder typically develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. However, some people have their first symptoms during childhood, and some develop them late in life. It is often not recognized as an illness, and people may suffer for years before it is properly diagnosed and treated. Like diabetes or heart disease, bipolar disorder is a long-term illness that must be carefully managed throughout a person's life.

Manic-depression distorts moods and thoughts, incites dreadful behaviors, destroys the basis of rational thought, and too often erodes the desire and will to live. It is an illness that is biological in its origins, yet one that feels psychological in the experience of it; an illness that is unique in conferring advantage and pleasure, yet one that brings in its wake almost unendurable suffering and, not infrequently, suicide.

There are many symptoms of bipolar that one should be mindful to look at if they feel they may be suffering from a mental health illness.

To read the rest of this article please visit our website at HelpingDepression.com. Here you will also find helpful articles on mental health disorders that affect millions of people today.

Depression Can Be Treated

One of the most common psychological problems affecting nearly everyone either through personal experience or through a family member is depression. In America over 17 million adults experience a period of clinical depression each year. This illness interferes with everyday normal functioning and often causes problems with work, social and family life. The pain it causes isn't just suffered by the person with the disorder but also by their nearest and dearest. Not only can the life of the depressed person be destroyed so can the lives of those within the family.

Depression causes tremendous emotional pain and disrupts the lives of millions (directly and indirectly). It also has an impact on work productivity and absenteeism and has a negative impact on the economy, costing an estimated $44 billion each year.

Depression affects the social behavior and the sense of physical well being. It is a psychological condition that changes how a person thinks, feels and behaves. Everybody has felt sad at one time or another but that is not depression nor is the tiredness felt through working too hard or the feelings of discouragement felt when faced with serious problems. Once the stress has been adjusted to, these feelings usually pass within a few days or weeks. But these feelings could be depression if they linger, intensify and begin to interfere with work, school or family responsibilities.

Anyone can be affected by depression and once correctly identified, most people diagnosed with depression can be successfully treated. Unfortunately because many symptoms of depression mimic physical illness such as appetite and sleep disturbances depression is not always diagnosed.

For depression to be successfully treated it first has to be correctly diagnosed.

Almost two thirds of depressed people do not get proper treatment. There are many reasons for this one of which is the symptoms are just not recognized as signs of depression and therefore go un-noticed. Another reason is that because depressed people are often tired they are seen as weak or lazy. Social stigma is another reason that depression goes untreated. It is seen as a 'mental' health problem. And sometimes people are so disabled by the illness that they are unable to reach out for help. Sometimes symptoms are mis-diagnosed as physical problems and then other times the individual symptoms are treated rather than the under lying cause.

The fact that so many people either are mis-diagnosed or never seek medical help is really unfortunate as those that do get help and treatment almost 80% with depression make significant improvements in their mood and life adjustment.

There are several types of depression the most serious type being major depression. This is because of the number of symptoms and the severity of those symptoms.

Dysthymic disorder refers to a low level of depression that lasts for at least two years.

The depression caused in response to a major life stress or crisis is known as Adjustment Disorder with Depression.

Bipolar depression includes high and low mood swings and has a variety of other symptoms not present in other depressions.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Depression