College probably holds some of the most stressful years of our lives. But for students with depression and anxiety, students can start to struggle academically.
Anxiety and depression are the most common mental illnesses within the United States. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 40 million adults who are between the ages of 18 and 54 suffer from depression and/or anxiety disorders.
But articles from sources such as Science Daily and The Huffington Post have reported that anxiety is a good thing since it keeps you on top of your game in school. However, when too much stress and adrenaline start to build, our daily habits such as eating and sleeping start to change, which can have severe effects on our bodies, causing a more serious problem.
In a nation wide survey conducted by the American College Health Association, 30 percent of students said “they were so depressed, it was difficult to function,” which no person should ever go through.
In another study conducted by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “62 percent of students who withdrew from college, did so because of an anxiety disorder.”
Anxiety and depression have such an overpowering effect on people, they put their entire education and futures in jeopardy, so that they can relieve themselves from the clinical instability it causes them.
Student health is widely neglected and it’s because people don’t take these disorders seriously, making others feel they are over exaggerating their emotions.
No one wants to acknowledge that these students are actually struggling.
How would you feel if you couldn’t find the will to get out of bed every morning? Or were so depressed you didn’t do any of your homework because you were so convinced you weren’t good enough to even try?
Doesn’t sound fun, does it?
Another not so fun fact, suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, right behind drunk driving.
These students are so fed up with life and are so stressed, are so emotionally and mentally worked up, that they decide to end their lives.
It says a lot about what these people go through, and what others choose to ignore.
What’s even worse is that majority of students who do suffer do not seek help, and that is where the problem lies.
Students do not seek help for many reasons, mostly because they think what they’re feeling is the normal experience of being a college student. But in most cases, there is much more to it than meets the eye.
People make it seem as though you are supposed to go through this type of overwhelming stress, but when you think about it, college is supposed to help you succeed in life, not cause chemical imbalances within your brain that make you lose your will to live.
The human population needs to stop pretending that these disorders do not exist and make those who do suffer know that it is okay to ask for help. The more we sweep it under the rug, the harder it gets for those who suffer to become well again and speak up.
To those that have such disorders, seek help, because it can only get better from where you are right now. To others, let’s help those who suffer, instead of telling them to suck it up and stop being overdramatic.
By just being there for someone and acknowledging that they need help, we can save someone’s academic career and mental health, one student at a time.
