Steep rise in number of college students taking medication for depression

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Thu, 10 Mar 2005 20:50:48 -0500

 

[sSRI-Research] SSRIs: Steep rise in number of college

students taking medication for depression

 

Paragraphs 17 & 18 read: " Daves said the National Survey of Counseling

Center Directors also showed a jump in students who are in counseling

and taking psychiatric medicines, from 9 percent in 1994 to 24.5

percent in 2004. Robbins said the recent rise in medication of

depressed people may have unintended side effects. "

 

" 'We have to be really careful of that,' " he said. " 'Some of my

clients come in here looking like zombies and complaining that they

can't cry anymore.' "

 

Paragraph 4 reads: " Statistics show that the numbers of depressed

college students and students who die by suicide are on the rise in

recent years. "

 

 

 

http://www.oudaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/03/10/42305a35f33d8

 

Under Pressure

A recent study found that many students experience depression in college.

 

Sarah Waldrop - DAILY STAFF WRITER

 

March 10, 2005

 

College students know what stress feels like. The tests, papers and

quizzes pile up while friends, co-workers and parents add pressures of

their own. Students balancing all of life's commitments--school, work,

social lives and planning for the years ahead--sometimes feel overwhelmed.

 

" It's really stressful to be a college student, especially if you're

working, " said Emily Benson, nursing sophomore. " First semester I was

working full time and going to school full time, and it was really

stressful. "

 

For some students, these feelings can escalate to clinical depression

or suicidal thoughts. Statistics show that the numbers of depressed

college students and students who die by suicide are on the rise in

recent years.

 

Depression

 

American College Health Association's 2004 survey found that more than

half of students experience major feelings of depression sometime

during their college careers, and 15 percent qualify as clinically

depressed, said Michael Daves, associate director of counseling and

testing at Goddard Health Center.

 

Rockey Robbins, professor of counseling psychology, said today's

instant gratification culture may be partly to blame.

" We live in a culture that wants quick fixes, " he said.

 

Robbins said that when young people can't get what they've been taught

to want, they may be more vulnerable to feelings of depression.

 

The United States' focus on success may also put pressures on young

people, Robbins said. He said recent events like wars, terrorism and

the troubled economy, can cause stress.

 

" It's extremely difficult to get started in life today, " he said.

 

Traumas like a parental divorce or a break-up with a boyfriend or

girlfriend are tough on college students, Robbins said.

Rachael Miller, University College freshman, said she went through a

period of depression when her parents had marital trouble.

" My mom had an affair my senior year in high school, and that was

probably one of the worst experiences of my life, " Miller said.

She said that although she never sought help with her troubles, she

advises students who feel depressed to seek counseling. " I needed to,

but I didn't, " Miller said. " It was kind of more of a pride issue than

anything else. "

 

Miller now leads group discussions for high school girls at her

church. She said she hopes to help young people by showing them she

understands what they're going through.

 

Robbins said depressed people can benefit from talking about their

problems with a professional counselor.

 

" By going to a counselor, they will usually get through the depression

episode quicker, " he said.

 

Recently, more college students have been willing to seek help, Daves

said. He said fall 2004 saw the largest single-semester rise in

students who were treated for depression at the OU Counseling Center.

 

" This appears to be, in part, a product of students' as well as the

general populace's greater acceptance of counseling as 'normal' and

non-stigmatizing, " Daves said.

 

Daves said the National Survey of Counseling Center Directors also

showed a jump in students who are in counseling and taking psychiatric

medicines, from 9 percent in 1994 to 24.5 percent in 2004. Robbins

said the recent rise in medication of depressed people may have

unintended side effects.

 

" We have to be really careful of that, " he said. " Some of my clients

come in here looking like zombies and complaining that they can't cry

anymore. "

 

Medication can be useful to people who are too depressed to function

normally, Robbins said.

 

" The medication can be helpful to get them into a state where they can

at least talk about the problem, " he said.

Suicide

 

If a depressed student doesn't get treatment or treatment isn't

effective, more serious problems can result.

 

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report showed that the

number of college-age suicide victims rose for the first time in six

years during the 2001-2002 school year. The numbers may be increasing,

but it's not a new problem. National Mental Health Association surveys

consistently show that suicide is the second-leading cause of death

among college students.

Robbins said young people's impulsiveness may cause them to die by

suicide at a higher rate than other groups of people.

 

" They do it on the spur of the moment when things are just horrible, "

he said. " Things like drugs and alcohol can exacerbate and intensify

the negative feelings and increase the likelihood of suicide. "

 

Ron Gibori is the director of Ulifeline at the Jed Foundation, a

program to prevent suicide among college students. He said warning

signs of suicidal thoughts, like changes in eating or sleeping habits,

may be masked by everyday college life.

 

" A lot of the signs can be attributed to their just being a college

kid, " Gibori said. " It's when you put them all together that you

realize there is a problem. "

 

The apparent rise in college-age suicide victims may be partly

attributed to greater awareness of the problem, Gibori said.

" That's why it seems that it's a large problem now, " he said. " It has

always been a large problem. "

 

Gibori said students have a responsibility to talk to friends they're

concerned about and get help for those people.

" It's better to get help for a friend and be wrong than do nothing and

be right, " he said.