Running head: DEPRESSION IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

Community Problem Report: Depression Among College Students

Samuel Hall
University of Texas at El Paso

DEPPRESSION IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

Abstract
Depression is a problem that affects a community like college in many different ways.
Students suffering from it choose not to seek help or disclose their situation because they
feel that they will not get the help they need or that the stigma surrounding it will be too
much to handle. This report is the result of an investigation based on analyzing depression
as a problem that affects a community. It focuses on explaining how this mental illness
hinders a college community in academic ways, the different ways of approaching the
illness based on etiological models, and the attitudes that students and faculty must adapt to
in order to make the college environment into a welcoming one with reduced rates of
unattended cases of clinical depression.

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Community Problem Report: Depression Among College Students
According to the American College Health Foundations 2011 nationwide student
mental health survey, about 30% of students have felt so depressed that functioning in a
college environment has seemed impossible. It has also been noted that suicide is the
second leading cause of death among college students. This is a big deal since almost all
suicide cases are caused by prolonged depression. Colleges are environments where hard
work and an accelerated lifestyle are the norm, and when someone is suffering from
depression it is understandable that an issue like this is overlooked. Although colleges do
offer counseling centers where therapy, consultation, and accommodation is provided to
students; there seems to be social barriers like stigma and lack of will to seek help. Though
when the first barriers are overcome, there are still problems in the way of approaching this
problem. For instance there are different models for the explanation of the causes behind
depression like the biological and psychological. And both of them tend to prefer different
treatments, like the use of antidepressants or psychotherapy. Depression is an illness that
has unnoticeably become into one of the most important problems that affect the lives of
college students.
A college environment is a place that requires work and dedication. It is also expected
from the students to be involved in many extracurricular activities, and to work towards
building a strong curriculum. A person suffering from depression is pressured to keep up
with the pace and may avoid speaking with a counselor about his condition. This creates a
vicious cycle where a student feels that their depression is caused by their worsening grades
and academic performance when sometimes it is their illness, which makes their
performance go down (Iarovici, 2014). Depression is a relevant issue in the college

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environment since it contributes to academic problems. According to nationwide survey
done by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 64% of students suffering from a mental
illness stopped attending school because of it (NAMI, 2012). They expressed how lack of
support from family and friends, and lack of useful accommodations like excused absences
contributed to them losing their financial aid and to eventually leaving school.
While depression is a problem that is very present among college students, that is not
to say that colleges are not doing something about it. Respondents from NAMIs survey
rated their college clinical services as good giving such reasons as free counseling, caring
mental health staff members, and supportive faculty (2012). Counseling centers are present
in every college nationwide, but the presence of them is not a solution to depression by
itself. A person suffering from depression needs the knowledge of their condition first if
they are to ever decide to seek help. 60% of students surveyed by NAMI stated that they
found health fairs and mental health information during orientations as critical activities to
raise awareness of these problems in colleges (2012).
However one of the biggest problems a student faces when dealing openly with their
depression can be facing the stigma that surrounds the illness. People suffering from
depression are seen as weak of character since it is believed that the illness is controllable
(Goldstein, Rosselli, 2003). There is also a desirable social distance to depressed
individuals, and that can make them avoid disclosing their situation. Organizations like
NAMI prefer to view depression as a biological illness because it takes the blame out of the
persons character, and instead places the burden on uncontrollable conditions. But
regardless of the way that the illness is viewed, Goldstein and Rosselli have found that
endorsing a psychological or biological view on the illness has not had any impact on the
actual stigma surrounding the people suffering from depression, and that there is still

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preference with being socially distant to depressed individuals (2003). Stigma also has an
effect in the people that access mental health services on colleges. From NAMIs survey it
is observed that 83% of respondents are female, which corresponds to previous studies
where it was found that women are twice as likely to disclose their mental conditions
because men fear that disclosing their illness would show weakness (NAMI, 2012). The
number of students seeking help for this problem also depends on factors such as sexual
identity and ethnicity, since they carry other harmful stereotypes. It is observed that in
groups who are sexual minorities, the rate of people attending counseling centers is higher
than heterosexuals (Effrig, Maloch, Mc Aleavey, Locke &Bieschke, 2014). To encourage
help seeking behaviors and stigma reduction in colleges, the alumni and faculty must be
aware of mental illnesses and know how to reach out to people suffering from them. Since
stigma is a social construct, it can be eliminated through social actions like modified
language, respectful communication and open discussion. NAMI suggests that faculty and
alumni have to be knowledgeable of ways to help friends and students, that they have know
the prevalence and risk of mental health issues, and that they have to be aware of the
relationship between a successful academic environment and a successful social
environment (NAMI, 2012).
There is plenty of debate on how an illness like depression should be treated. In the
past 10 years, there has been a strong support of a biological explanation for depression.
This has coincided with a prevalent use of antidepressants as a treatment method. However
the effects of antidepressants have varied strongly between people. According to Dr.
Friedman, only a third of patients receiving pharmacological treatment have been
successfully put into remission. But this is because there has not been a strong support for
conjoined research into the biological causes of depression (2013). Many psychiatrists

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accept that depression has a biological basis but believe that it does not mean that medicine
would be enough to solve the problem. They support psychotherapy as a better solution to
the problem since it establishes a personal relationship between the patient and the therapist
that is lost with the reliance on antidepressants. Dr. Iarovici states that a great model for
therapy in colleges would be a holistic approach where each student receives specialized
attention and receives treatment according to his preferences and needs (2014). This seems
like the best solution since one of the most important characteristics of modern colleges is
the fast pace of change and adaptation that students have to go through. Dr. Iarovici also
states that a student may be suffering from adaptation disorder. This means that they may
have similar symptoms to a person suffering from clinical depression but as they adapt to
their new lifestyles the symptoms would go away. A personal approach to the illness based
on the situation of each patient is then the best way to treat depression.
Colleges are communities with big populations of students from radically different
backgrounds, with varying aspirations, and who face different challenges. Academic
success is the main goal that any college must establish, but through the process there are
many other goals that must be fulfilled. One of them is the establishment of a welcoming
environment for students suffering from illnesses such as depression. Counseling centers
must be prepared to adjust to many different students who may be burdened by problems
ranging from academic success, and family support to even suicidal thoughts; and have to
be constant in their outreach to these students. Also, student organizations who support the
cause of mental health awareness and treatment should be encouraged since students are
most likely to disclose their problems to people from their same age and similar situations.
If these guidelines are followed and there is a constant effort to eliminate stigma against
depression, college will become an environment where depression is not a burden.

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Reference Page
Effrig, J. C., Maloch, J. K., Mc Aleavey, A., Locke, B.D. & Bieschke, K.J. (2014). Change
in Depressive Symptoms Among Treatment-Seeking College Students Who Are Sexual
Minorities. Journal of College Counseling, 17(3), 271-285. doi: 10.1002/j.21611882.2014.00063.x

Friedman. R. A. (2013, December 23). A new focus on depression. The New York Times.
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Goldstein. B., Rosselli, F. (2003). Etiological paradigms of depression: The relationship

between perceived causes, empowerment, treatment, preferences, and stigma. Journal of
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