(U-WIRE) COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- A large percentage of college students across the country are feeling stressed, sad, hopeless and so depressed that they are unable to function, according to the National Mental Health Association.
In its recent national college health survey, 10 percent of college students have been diagnosed with depression, one of the most common mental illnesses. Anxiety is another mental illness that affected almost 7 percent of students nationally in 2000.
But some university students suffering with these problems acknowledge them and seek help. According to a year-end report from the University of Maryland Counseling Center, depression and anxiety are the top two concerns for students seeking help, with 54 percent of students experiencing depression and 47 percent experiencing anxiety.
"Depression has been a significant problem for students for an extended period of time," said Vivian Boyd, the center's director. More than 1,440 undergraduate and graduate students use the facility's counseling service each year, according to the center's annual report.
Although depression and anxiety have been major concerns for college students for quite some time, the fact that more students are seeking help for these problems is good news to university health professionals.
Since 1999, visits to the Mental Health Services department at the University Health Center have increased 18 percent, from 5,240 to 6,399. Here, students can come in and speak to psychiatrists and therapists for short-term help, said Nancy Harris, clinical social worker at the center.
Workers at the department attribute the rise to students following up on their mental health treatments as well as the success of a proactive campaign, reminding students that help is close by.
The department conducted a survey of 182 students in introductory health education classes where 42 percent reported having experienced depression since attending college. But only 53 percent were aware of the service and a mere 5 percent reported they would go to the Health Center for treatment.
With data in hand, department officials last year used a poster to convey the message that depression affects one in five students. The result: More students came to seek treatment.
But who's taking advantage of these programs and why are depression and anxiety such problems for college students?
The problems may lie in the increasing competitive academic pressure, said Jonathan Kandell, associate director of the counseling service at the Counseling Center.
The general stress of society coupled with academics in such a competitive place may leave students feeling down, he said. In fact, more than half of the students who come in for counseling in his department are upperclassmen and graduate students, those who may be completing theses and other final projects.
"What's interesting is that it's very true that high-achieving students are more concerned or more worried about certain things," Boyd said. They know when it's time to seek help and where to get it, she said.
Some students who do suffer from severe depression and anxiety can now perform better academically because of advances in medication, Kandell said. Previously, these students might have had difficulties continuing their education because of these problems.
But this may put more pressure on counselors to handle tougher cases.
"If the medications don't work, then you've got people here on campus who need to be taken care of, who may not have been on campus needing to be taken care of before," Harris said. "So that we do see perhaps -- people with more complicated problems."
The university Counseling Center is known nationally for its innovative outreach programs and has been labeled as a "pacesetter" among college counseling centers around the country. University health professionals said they are prepared to meet the needs of students who seek help.
"If you have a comprehensive counseling center," Boyd said, "it's clearly to your advantage as a student to take advantage of that."
(C) 2002 The Diamondback via U-WIRE