2008 Woodie Awards
RSSAs leaves turn brown, students turn blue
By Maggie Barr
Issue date: 11/9/07 Section: Lifestyle
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The pressures students face on a daily basis at college are unique in themselves. It is no wonder so many struggles trigger or induce depression among students. Even those first weeks of school, when you lose the familiar and have to face the unknown, are a lot to handle. Having to juggle schoolwork, extracurricular activities, a social life, finances and everything else is enough to make someone perpetually bummed out, which is exactly what happens. But it doesn't stop there.
"During freshman year, students are adjusting to the new responsibility of being on their own, having lost the support network that they were used to back home and having to make new friends," said Aaron Sterba, senior staff member of counseling and psychological services. "For some students, a little more assistance in doing that is helpful or necessary for them."
Anything that involves increasing stress levels can make students more susceptible to depression, Sterba said. From relationship concerns and interpersonal issues to students returning home from studying abroad, anything can facilitate the onset of the disorder.
Erin*, '10, remembers when her older sister, Stephanie, first started acting differently than her normally bouncy, active self. Becoming increasingly on edge, Stephanie would constantly pick fights with her parents and blow everything out of proportion. Stephanie spent more time napping and less time out of the house. Erin often found Stephanie contradicting herself, even when it came to little things, such as borrowing a shirt.
Because of her bouts of intense highs and lows, Stephanie was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, which is a subset of depression predominantly marked by recurrent episodes of mania.
Depression shows its face in many forms, each with a range of symptoms. All its victims feel sadness, anxiety and fatigue. Most lose interest in activities they once enjoyed. Many feel hopeless and helpless. Some suddenly ride emotional roller coasters, while others become completely void of any emotion at all. A few entertain thoughts of death and suicide.
Major Depressive Disorder might not even be the correct diagnosis in all cases, like for those suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder. According to the American Psychological Association's Web site, SAD involves the same underlying symptoms as depression, but is only visible from around January through March, after which it subsides until the cycle restarts the following year. As winter approaches and the number of daylight hours fade, the energy of people with the disorder does too, as they expend much less energy partaking in outdoor activities and exercising than they would normally.
Counseling services cater to these different facets of depression through both individualized counseling and specialized group psychotherapy. The center also runs psycho-educational outreach programs throughout the school year.
But these educational programs are only one way to reach students battling with depression. Peers and professors can contribute that first push towards recovery through simple strategies like expressing concern for someone showing warning signs of the illness.
Sterba advises those worried about a troubled friend to look out for isolating behavior, such as disengaging from social activities and avoiding members of his or her social group, which is one of the most telling signs. An effective way Sterba thinks friends can determine the potential existence or severity of the illness is through judging actions and behaviors in relation to that person's normal baseline.
Letting a friend know you're able to help might be the best way to get him or her into a counselor's office, said Sterba. Contrary to belief, talking and asking questions is not going to deter a depressed individual from seeking help or cause that person to do something dangerous to himself or someone else.
"Discussing scary subjects with friends is better than silence," Sterba said.
When Stephanie committed suicide, Erin's mother started an organization dedicated to spreading awareness about depression and its link with suicide. The group raises money towards mental health programming in high schools and on college campuses to increase resources and education at these high-risk environments.
"You can't force a person to make her talk, but you can let her know you are there," Erin said.
Erin said she wants those suffering from depression to know that it is not a sign of personal weakness, but rather a biological disease that needs to be treated. She acknowledges that no matter how good a support group someone with depression may have, that individual cannot deal with the disease on his or her own.
"If you are depressed, you need to talk to someone and from there you yourself can then contribute proactive steps to making yourself better," Erin said. "If you keep your feelings hidden inside and don't admit that you need help, they will only build up, and no good can come from that, and then you might do what my sister did."
*Name has been changed to protect student's privacy.
