Is it More Than The Blues?
There are times in everyone’s life when you feel down and you are sad for periods of time, but how do you know when it has crossed a line into depression? How can you tell?
Mental health is very important and needs to be talked about more among the college community. There are a lot of people who are struggling who you are close with and you may not even realize.
According to WebMD, these are symptoms of clinical depression:
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Trouble concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
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Fatigue
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Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and helplessness
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Pessimism and hopelessness
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Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or sleeping too much
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Irritability
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Restlessness
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Loss of interest in things once pleasurable, including sex
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Overeating, or appetite loss
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Aches, pains, headaches, or cramps that won’t go away
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Digestive problems that don’t get better, even with treatment
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Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” feelings
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Suicidal thoughts or attempts
There are a lot of people who symptoms go unnoticed, and some people never seek the help that they may need. There are a lot of students on every campus that struggle with these feelings. When you notice that your friend may be showing signs of depression you may find it hard to bring up in a conversation. While it may be uncomfortable at first, hopefully, your friend will realize it is for their better interest that you are reaching out! Let them know you are there for them. Sometimes just knowing that someone is there if you ever need to talk is very helpful.
If you think you may be depressed it may be hard to reach out and talk to people. It is hard to acknowledge that you may have something going on in your head that you don’t necessarily understand or want to talk about, or even know where it is coming from. But reaching out to anyone is the first step.
There is a website https://www.crisistextline.org/ that allows you to talk to someone at any hour, it is 24/7, via text.
There are resources on campus that you can use. You can schedule appointments at the Health and Wellness Center on the Mount Carmel Campus. You can contact someone at Quinnipiac by calling or emailing:
Office phone: 203-582-8680 Email: counseling@qu.edu
College is not easy and students can find themselves in very stressful situations. It’s okay to not be okay. This should be normalized.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
The texting crisis line: Text HOME to 741741