Depression
poses problems for many students
By
Paunie Samreth
Daily Bruin
LOS
ANGELES (U-Wire) -- Many college students
take a major step toward adulthood by leaving
home. For some, the stresses of college
can push them into an area beyond unhappiness,
where nothing is possible and life becomes
overwhelming. The depression these students
feel can be persistent, changing the way
they think and affecting their relationships
with others.
But
with proper care, depression can be cured.
"We
think of depression as a kind of mental
illness that does not go away without treatment,"
said Dr. Harold Pruett, director of Student
Psychological Services, a multidisciplinary
mental health center for the University
of California at Los Angeles community.
The
National Institute of Mental Health reported
in 1998 that about 19 million adults suffer
from depressive disorders in any given year,
with nearly twice as many women as men being
affected.
Losing
a significant other or a breakup in a relationship
causes a feeling of sadness or mourning,
but sadness is not depression, Pruett said.
Events
can lead to depression if accompanied with
long term feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness
and a loss of self-esteem.
SPS
helps students cope with any kind of issues
in their lives that may affect their well
being.
Two
clinics deal with mostly the same issues
other psychological clinics do, such as
family, friends and work.
College
students, however, are more unique, with
an age range of 18 to 24. A regular clinic
typically sees people from a wider age range,
Pruett said. The competitive, academic environment
of most of their patients is also different
from other clinics.
One
of the most common issues for which students
seek help is relationship problems. Academics,
family expectations and roommate problems
are other sources of stress that can affect
students' health.
"Left
untreated, students can overcome it themselves
with a good solid supportive system,"
Pruett said.
However,
those diagnosed with clinical depression
don't simply outgrow it.
Clinical
depression has biological origins and often
runs in the family. It is separated into
three types of depression: major depression,
dysthymic depression and bipolar or manic
depression.
The
causes of depression are widely unknown.
But a study in the July issue of Science
showed a direct enetic link between emotional
stress and depression.
Adults in the study who had a short
form of a gene that helps regulate serotonin,
a neurotransmitter, were more likely to
slip into depression after a traumatic life
experience than those with the long form
of the gene.
Diagnosis of clinical depression is
difficult, and requires a professional evaluation.
The first step toward diagnosis is to recognize
that something is wrong.
Students
then go through an interview to determine
the current symptoms and history of depression.
An intervention plan, which can include
further evaluation, medication or psychotherapy,
is later mapped out.
An
increasing number of students diagnosed
with clinical depression arrive at UCLA
already on medication.
"In
general, it probably doesn't complicate
things unless the student has been placed
on medication deemed inappropriate,"
Pruett said.
Often,
students have been placed on psychiatric
medication prescribed by general physicians
who don't understand the complexity of the
medication.
In
June, the Journal of the American Medical
Association published a report stating only
21 percent of depressed patients received
adequate care.
Current
research conducted at UCLA on the care of
depressed patients has often involved the
direct participation of students diagnosed
with clinical depression.
One
of the many current studies involves the
effects of taking two antidepressants rather
than one to treat depression.
|
