It is not news that college is a tough time for many students. Students undergo a lot of change during their college years, which can lead to feelings of stress and fatigue. With a struggling job market and economy, college students are feeling the pressure more than ever to make the most out of their years enrolled in university. Yet, while most students deal with the burdens relatively well by adapting and pressing on, an alarming amount are finding themselves drowning in the depths of depression.
When a student begins a college career, they often must leave behind the home, family, and friends that he or she has known for so long in order to move to a completely new and unknown place. This alone is a daunting prospect because the students will essentially be attempting to establish an entirely new identity and create a new home and social network. It is little wonder that these monumental changes cause many new students to feel homesick because they long for familiarity in the uncharted new territory in which they find themselves. These stressors can greatly affect a student’s mental health, driving some new students to severe depression that may lead to thoughts of self-harm.
Yet, not only new students encounter depression. Many continuing students also become depressed for a variety of reasons, such as feelings of inadequacy if they are falling behind in their classes or hopelessness if they are struggling to keep up with school, work, and the social scene. Depression can cause students to fall behind academically. Their failure to concentrate or just a general apathy towards studying can lead to a disaster with grades and a huge waste of money. Those who are benefiting from an academic scholarship could also lose their scholarship money if their depression causes their GPAs to dip.
Depression is a serious condition that affects more than 20 million people in the United States alone, according to Medline Plus. Students who have it may feel restless, lethargic, apathetic, sad, or just moody in general. Contrary to popular belief, these feelings do not disappear with time, nor can a student just "get over" it. It is important for these students to reach out for help from their peers, families, and the school. Many universities provide counseling and therapy sessions for students who need it and those with depression should not hesitate to visit their college’s wellness center. It is never too late for students suffering from depression to seek help and luckily, mental health is now a widely recognized concern so students do not have to worry about the social stigma that used to be attached to depression.