Depression in College Students

Abby (pseudonym) is a third-year college student who first encountered depression as a freshman after losing several significant people in her life within a short period of time. Her family physician, noticing her lack of energy, did a quick depression scale in the office and suggested that medication might alleviate her symptoms.

“I wasn’t feeling a whole lot of anything at that point,” she said. Abby is quite open about her struggles with depression. She said that “feeling numb was getting old” and self-awareness about depression motivated her to get back to doing everyday activities which, along with medication, helped her get through this rough time in her life.

She has since moved on to a fulfilling college life and says she’d “rather feel that loss than feel nothing at all.” With a sense of mission in using her experiences in ways that might be useful to others, she is a great advocate for depression awareness here on campus.

Abby’s experience is fairly common with college students who are dealing with losses of significant others, divorce of parents, abortions and struggles to move into adulthood. We, as campus ministers, hear these stories on retreats, listen to these life experiences in other settings and are key in spotting depression and in discerning when professional support might be useful. Most college campuses have mental health services available to students to get through these transition periods, and we need to develop working referral relationships with these professionals.

The most common self depression test (Patient Health Questionnaire, known as PHQ-9) assesses nine key symptoms that interfere with everyday life:

feeling down, depressed or hopeless

loss of interest or pleasure in activities or social gatherings

sleeping too much or too little

decreased motor activity or increased restlessness

feeling tired and having little energy

feelings of worthlessness, helplessness, failure or guilt

difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions

change in appetite or weight

recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

Depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors. There are different types of depression, some situational due to life events and some biochemical which only a health professional can assess. There are many different treatment options and drug therapies for all forms of depression.

As campus ministers, we have the ability to recognize these key signs of depression and offer not only referrals but invitations to meaningful activities that can increase mood, offer social contact and improve resilience. Asking how students are feeling and assessing if their mood is affecting their life is the first step in providing the care and concern they need during these college experiences.Current data from the spring 2015 study by the American College Health Association) found that more than half of college students have experienced ‘overwhelming anxiety’ sometime over the past year. More than 37 percent of women (and 30 percent of men) report feeling so depressed “that it was difficult to function.” Nearly 48 percent said they “felt things were hopeless” and 60 percent “felt very lonely.” With suicide as the leading cause of death among college students and nearly 10 percent of college students reporting having seriously considered suicide, we need to be alert to the moods of our students and the resources available to meet their mental health needs.

Jane Steinhauser M.Div, D.Min. LPC is a licensed counselor, certified spiritual director and director of Campus Ministry for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and Sinclair Community