Prozac Nation: a movie about a girl who struggles with depression during her first year at Harvard University. The movie, based on an autobiography of Elizabeth Wurtzel, depicts an extreme case of depression where sex and drugs are abused. With more and more teens depending on anti-depressants and anxiety medications this story line may not be far from the truth for most students. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, a nationwide survey given to college students in 2009 uncovered that at least 30% of college students feel so depressed it is difficult to function and 6% of college students have serious thoughts of suicide.
This mental illness affects every aspect of a person’s life; their body, mood, thoughts, and behavior. Depression can change a person completely. A few changes people with depression will notice are in their eating habits, their feelings, and their thinking process, how they interact with people, and their ability to focus on things such as work and studying.
Depression is not something that happens overnight, symptoms will insidiously appear at a slow pace, sometimes making them unnoticeable. To quote Prozac Nation, “’Gradually, then suddenly.’ That’s how depression hits. You wake up one morning, afraid that you’re gonna live.”
There is no certain cause of Depression, it can happen to anyone. The likeliness of experiencing it can depend on a person’s environment, their surroundings and life experiences, and how much stress a person endures on a daily basis.
According to the National Institute of Health, college students are more likely to be exposed to the feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy due to a couple different factors. Such as, it may be their first time living away from home, they may miss their family and friends, they face more difficult school work, are worrying about finances, and are just completely overwhelmed with the changes going on in their life.
Depression can affect the rest of a person’s life and may sometimes result in suicide attempts or successes.
My friend, who attends Temple University, recently had one of her roommates attempt suicide. My friend feels like it is her fault because she was unaware how down someone that she lived so closely with was feeling. Reading through old conversations I had with her about her roommate made me realize that the signs were all there. She would text me to complain that the roommate was picking fights with her and the others for no reason, that she always made negative comments, she would stop showing up for their roommate dinners and other plans, and often skip class.
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If you feel like you or someone close to you may be affected by depression, here are some things to look out for.
-Sad, hopeless, and helpless feelings
-Irritability and restlessness
-Lost of interest in activities that were once enjoyed
-Starting fights and distancing themselves from friends
-Over sleeping or not being able to sleep
-Lack of energy
-Problems with concentrating and remembering information
-Loss of appetite or overeating
-Headaches and cramps that do not go away
If these symptoms go on for more than two weeks it is time to get help.
Depression is not a mood that will pass or can be willed away so it is important to talk to someone or seek out counseling services. Many college campuses have counselors on hand for students to talk to; they may suggest going to a doctor who can prescribe medications which will aid the road to recovery. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 80 percent of those who seek help get better.
Many people feel ashamed of having these types of feelings and think they will be seen as weak so they keep it to themselves and do not seek treatment. But depression is not something to feel humiliated about.
Even celebrities have mental breakdowns. Demi Lovato, a famous Disney star, publicly struggled with an eating disorder, cutting, and drug abuse at the age of 20. When she had a public outburst and attacked one of her background dancers she was admitted to rehab and was diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder. Lovato tells Abcnews.com that getting help taught her to cope with her issues in healthy ways, like knitting. “…who would have thought that, like, I would be home on a Saturday night knitting and watching TV…” she told them.
Perhaps an even more famous breakdown was when, the 25 year old, Britney Spears shaved her head and publicly attacked the paparazzi with an umbrella.
Both are now well into their recovery and are judges on the Fox show The X-Factor.
Depression is a serious issue that affects almost half of college students. If you or a friend have thoughts of harming yourselves or others, get help, call 911 or go straight to a counselor. It could save someone’s life, or your own.
For more information on depression and other mental illness visit www.nimh.nih.gov/.