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news
Depression
turns college students blue
By Adrienne Figueroa
On-line Forty-Niner
"Maxine"
is a bright college student with high aspirations to have
her own clothing business someday. Within a period of three
months, the straight-A student transferred to a different
college, got a new job and moved to Santa Monica from her
childhood home in Orange County for what she called a "change
of scenery." By embarking on this new adventure, she
felt independent and in control of her life.
A few months later, the 26-year-old watched the workload from
her 18-unit semester steadily grow as her budget steadily
shrank. Maxine started to slip into a state of indolence.
She felt blue and often overwhelmed by day-to-day activity
that she could normally participate in. She experienced
constant anxiety, was unable to concentrate and sometimes
spent several hours a day crying over events that she ordinarily
considered trivial.
She inadvertently isolated herself from her friends, repeatedly
citing fatigue as the reason why she couldn't go out to the
movies or to dinner. Ironically, the changes in her life that
she made to benefit herself made her feel less in control
than ever before.
"I felt helpless in my own arena," Maxine said.
Ideally, going to college should be a happy time in a young
adult's life, signifying freedom from the constraints of parental
supervision and the opportunity to acquire knowledge beyond
a general high school education.
However, daily struggles with balancing work, school, friends
and family can sometimes trigger varying episodes of depression
among college students.
The condition affects more than 19 million American adults
annually, 10 percent of which are college students, according
to the National Mental Health Association Web site.
Depression is a serious common disorder of mood that attacks
the mind and the body at the same time, according to the Screening
for Mental Health Web site. The illness manifests itself through
feelings of hopelessness, pessimism or guilt, loss of interest
or pleasure in daily activities, decreased energy, difficulty
concentrating or making decisions and thoughts of death or
suicide.
A combination of genetic, psychological and environmental
circumstances can often activate depression in students. Stress
associated with academic demands, financial responsibilities
and exposure to a new atmosphere can put a significant strain
on young minds, according to the National Institute of Mental
Health.
Furthermore, a family history of depression can make an individual
even more susceptible to developing the illness. Andogenous,
or internal, depression is the term used to describe the condition
influenced by a genetic disposition, said Clyde Crego, Ph.
D., director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Cal
State Long Beach.
If untreated, this has the potential to worsen and turn into
debilitating depression.
Crego sees students with varying levels of depression, ranging
from mild to severe. Most of these cases can be broken down
into three categories, he said.
The first type of depression results from daily living troubles
or separation from home. This is the most common form of the
condition and usually does not disrupt day-to-day activity.
"Most student depression is short-lived," Crego
said. "A lot of it pertains to specific events."
The second type of depression can be characterized as deep,
or chronic, depression. People experiencing this form of the
illness normally complain they do not feel well, have little
to no energy and have difficulty falling asleep at night or
waking up in the morning. As many as 100 students a
semester come to the counseling center seeking help for this
condition, Crego said.
Deep depression can be the result of a learned response or
genetic factors.
"For some people, it's a disease," he said.
The third type of depression is called psychotic depression.
Individuals with this condition will suffer from delusions
and suicidal tendencies. There have only been about five reported
cases each semester on campus, Crego said.
The way in which center personnel can differentiate between
a depressed or suicidal student is by conducting an assessment,
or interview, said Jerry Kernes, Ph. D., of Counseling and
Psychological Services.
Cases in which individuals threaten to kill themselves and
detail the means to do so are the cases which warrant the
most concern, according to Kernes.
"The person with the clearer, concise plan is the person
we're concerned about," he said.
In such a situation, the suicidal patient may remain under
the supervision of center personnel until that person can
be transported to a community hospital for further care. Campus
psychologists may choose to break the doctor-patient confidentiality
code and notify the parents of the individual about their
child's state of mind.
"With the actively suicidal patients, the level of intervention
is more severe," Kernes said.
Approximately one-third of young adults who die by suicide
have made a previous suicide attempt, according to a statement
from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
This is why center psychologists will inquire about how many
times the individual may have tried to commit suicide before.
Usually those who have threatened suicide in the past are
more likely to commit suicide again in the future, Kernes
added.
Other than suicide, there are other conditions in which depression
can be a big contributor. According to a survey conducted
by the American Psychological Association, there is a significant
increase in the amount of alcohol abuse problems, illicit
drug use and eating disorders that exist on the country's
college campuses.
More students are lining up at counseling centers requiring
intensive therapy, medication or both, according to the U.S.
News & World Report Web site.
It is unclear if the increase of college students seeking
professional help for these problems is due to a rise in mental
health problems or an inclination to utilize psychological
services because there is less stigma associated with mental
illness today.
At one time, this stigma is what kept people quiet about experiencing
depression and may have prevented them from getting mental
help.
"Historically, it was seen as 'you should get your act
together. If you had a stronger sense of yourself, then you
wouldn't have these types of problems,'" said Rick Bjorkland,
Psy. D., assistant manager for the Long Beach Mental Health
Clinic.
Fortunately, now people are more educated on the subject of
depression, he added.
"If a person thinks they need help, they should contact
a professional," Bjorkland said. "It is very simple
to make a phone call. It's better for them to empower themselves
than to suffer."
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