Higher Education

When Depression and Anxiety Takes a Toll on the Mental Health of College Students

Girl Depression

With the excessive pressure on college students, a great number of them are suffering from symptoms of common mental health problems. If left untreated, the issues can start having adverse impacts on students; so irrespective of whether you feel you’re experiencing such issues, it is vital to take immediate action. As per research conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness on mental health amongst college campuses, it has been found out that:

  • 1 among 4 students have been diagnosed with some kind of illness
  • 40% don’t seek help of medical professionals
  • 80% feel overburdened with their responsibilities
  • 55% have been too anxious about having to struggle in school and college

Certainly, there are increasing concerns over mental health problems that affect college students nowadays. When you come to know the diseases, their symptoms and cures, don’t ever take that as a substitute for treatment. Always feel free to speak to a doctor first and then to a friend.

Depression – As it interferes in the lives of the students

Depression wears many faces when it occurs among college students and as per a survey done by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors, 37.5% of college students reported that they’re suffering from some level of depression in the year 2014. The number one reason behind so many students dropping out of school is depression and this is nothing but a gateway issue, which if left unattended, could lead to serious consequences like suicide. Depression is a serious issue which leaves you with a sense of despondency, helplessness, loneliness and completely detached from the entire world.

Vital symptoms of depression

The different symptoms of depression vary from one person to another and it is caused by a chemical imbalance within our brains and hence the way in which a person displays his impression might not be the same as another. Nevertheless, here are some common symptoms that you might consider.

  1. Feelings of unhappiness and sadness
  2. Change of weight and appetite
  3. Reduced thought process and speech
  4. Reduced interest in social gatherings and activities
  5. Loss of energy, fatigue and insomnia
  6. Feeling of guilt over past failure
  7. Trouble regarding concentration
  8. Frustration and anger for no reason
  9. Thoughts of death, dying and suicide

Some resources for eliminating depression

People suffering from depression usually are of the opinion that they’re alone and they have no one to fall back on. But this is not the case. Here are some organizations which dedicate themselves to offering resources for sufferers of depression.

  • Anxiety and Depression Association of America: Such an organization works to promote cure and treatment of depression and anxiety related disorders.
  • National Institute of Mental Health: This is a sub-part of US Department of Health and Human Services and it works in order to treat different kinds of mental health issues with the help of medical research, thereby clearing the path for its prevention.
  • American College Health Association: The ACHA is an institution which endorses all kinds of healthy campus groups and it works in order to be called an ace organization for promoting the college students’ health.

Like the above mentioned health resources for college students, there are various other such resources to seek help from. Just as you have to watch out for educational improvements through effective learning skills, you also have to keep eliminating the obstacles that bar you from moving forward in your career.

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Fawad Malik is a writer and blogger who loves to write articles related to technology and also the new trends that are ruling the world nowadays. He is also the owner of the blog Nogentech where you can find quality tech articles. You can follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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