Depression Hits College Campuses Hard

viamsti, thank you for your comment. I am mostly Agnostic, and I believe in God but I don't wish to go to church or to associate with church people. I don't want to sound rude, but I have little to no faith in religion (not God, religion). I definitely feel like the current generation in school is depressed, and I wish counselors would be more open to listening to students and their problems. Most of the counselors at my school only wish to get their job done as fast as possible.

I meditate to get my mind grounded again (even if its short spurts of meditation), put on some candles, watch a comedy movie, and relax. Look at some cool art, read or watch people's biographies, and buy a planner to plan out your assignments and your day. Trust me, for students this is the best way to chart everything out and visually see what time slots you have to stay on top of your studies and slots you have for fun and relaxation. I find the best way to find good positive people is to join a volunteer organization or a sports club of your liking. Self help books have saved my soul so many times as well as Buddhist philosophy. Find what spiritually moves you and relish in the simple things in life. Take one day at a time; count your blessings and find at least one thing that is good in your life and hold onto that feeling. Take care. You can do it! This is how I got myself out of social phobia.

Unfortunatly, Mary Baldwin College screws it's students so badly we pay 32k a year and only get 4 counseling visits; not per year-but total. My school simply doesn't care about anything but its image and taking advantage of us students in any way they can. I can only dream that they'd actuallly care about the well-being of their students.

Going to church def helps. Make time for GOD and he will give you peace.

I am a 53 year old student who was suffering from severe depression before going to school, due to a series of events over the past couple of years. I decided to go to school to do something that I have always wanted to do. Although I was in counseling before hand, going to school seems to be the best therapy that I have experienced. I now have purpose in my life, I am doing well in class (16 credits last semester with a 4.0 GPA) and spend a fair bit of time helping younger students understand what is being taught. Money is still really tight, and home life could be better, but school is the best thing I could have done. I guess it all depends on what we are doing and why.

I'm just wondering here... is there any information in the surveys about what number of students were already experiencing signs of depression and anxiety before college? (I mean, most, if not all of us do to some degree - at some point). But, it could be part of an issue to look into, though I guess unrelated to school so I won't stay on that topic (which woukld touch on viamsti's comment).

I do think that VassiT makes a good point too. It's hard enough having to take out loans we know will just grow with interest, especially with the job market being less-than spectacular right now. But when students cannot get loans and are forced to work... It can be too much to handle. I've had people in my classes taking a full load of classes, working nearly full time, and falling short on school assignments, which in turn makes the ~ $30,000 they have to pay a year a total waste. Throw in rent, supplies, food, bills, etc and it makes focusing on school more difficult. It doesn't help that some professors have an attitude towards these issues that is less than sympathetic. "Work out your issues, then come to college, don't give excuses." is something I heard from a teacher talking about another student and it made me think that if that were the case, most would never step foot in a college, at least those who aren't well-off financially.

I think you all make good points. My faith has been an important key in keeping me more emotionally stable, but I would not be alive today if it weren't for therapy, meds, a network of support, etc. Viamsti, if you do not believe in God it is ok, but there is no reason to respond to others who struggle with depression by attacking what works for them. We are all in the same boat. Depression sucks. What works for one may not work for another. We need to support each other. I agree that we need professional help. But it is important to remember that there are varying degrees of depression. I need professional help, but I have friends who suffer from a more mild depression and the spiritual aspect of their life keeps them going strong. Let's support one another. :)