A student’s time in college can be at once the best and worst years of his life. While students experience newfound freedom, friendships and a multitude of unique experiences found only on college campuses, they also become vulnerable to the hidden dangers that lurk beneath the excitement. Loneliness arises as old high school friends fade from the social scene, and stressful schoolwork puts a tremendous burden on students who are used to being at the top of their class. Job searches and decisions such as which major to pick have consequences that will echo throughout students’ lives and are additional sources of worry at a time when students may not have family or close friends for comfort. Mental illnesses such as depression find fertile ground amid these conditions, when students are alone and susceptible to their dangers.
While sexual assault has recently been grabbing the headlines on college campuses as one of the greatest dangers facing students, mental illnesses such as depression especially have been quietly causing untold harm to student populations. The latest survey by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors found that 36.4 percent of college students suffer from some form of depression. This is a dangerously high number considering the risks associated with depression, which can include substance abuse, binge drinking and harm to academic performance. Students suffering from depression also experience higher rates of suicide and drop out of college in higher numbers — and these side effects do not even include the debilitating illness itself, the effects of which can be anything from feelings of hopelessness and sadness to difficulty concentrating and thoughts of or attempts at suicide.
As can be seen from the wide range of symptoms listed, depression is a complex illness that goes far beyond feelings of sadness, which many fail to understand. This lack of understanding, coupled with the often subtle effects of depression, can cause students to mistake their mood changes and other symptoms as nothing more than unavoidable results of the stress of college, a misunderstanding which prevents the affected students from getting the help they need. Though a certain amount of stress and sadness are normal, students must be made aware of what separates normal amounts of sadness and anxiety from harmful levels that are the result of a mental illness. At the very least, students should always have the opportunity to address their worries to a trained professional who can either lay those fears to rest or set them on a path to healing.
Not enough has been done here at the University to protect students from depression and mental illnesses like it. The administration needs to take concrete steps to increase both students’ awareness of the symptoms of depression and their access to treatment for it. This is not to suggest that the University has been lax, however. The Mental Wellness Screening Day that took place on Feb. 19 in Newcomb is a great example of steps the University should be taking to make students aware of both the presence of mental illnesses on Grounds and the availability of Counseling and Psychological Services for troubled students. Such events provide a convenient outlet for students who do not feel their problems are serious enough to merit a call to CAPS, but still feel the need to talk to someone. This idea can be taken further. Instead of one Mental Wellness Screening Day, a recurring event similar to it should be established in a public and stress-free environment that is convenient for students. On a related note, CAPS could open an auxiliary office somewhere near first-year dorms. As first years may be the most vulnerable to depression and have the least information on the resources the University provides for help, mental health screening and care options need to be made more readily available for their use.
The past semester has been a tragic one for this University as several fellow students committed suicide. Increasing awareness and treatment options for mental health on campus is a step toward both healing the scars left by these tragedies and preventing new ones from arising. Students of all years, religions and demographics may experience the pain of a mental illness and need to be made aware of and given access to the resources necessary for healing.
Alex Mink is a Viewpoint writer.
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