The APA (American Psychiatric Association) defines Depression as a “common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.” It causes feelings of sadness and there is a marked decrease in interest in activities that the person used to find enjoyable previously. Unfortunately, depression can also lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems that can lead to a decrease in the person’s ability to function at work and at home. (APA 2018)
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability in the US for ages 15 to 44.3, and affects 16.1 million American adults (6.7% older than the age of 18). On the other hand, Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) is a form of depression that usually continues for at least two years and affects approximately 3.3 million American adults (1.5% older than the age of 18). (ADAA 2016)
Historically depression has always been a health problem for human beings. Historical documents by healers, philosophers and writers through the years have noted something they called “melancholia” dating back to Mesopotamian texts in 2nd century B.C. They were attributed to a “demonic possession”, and were attended to by priests, as it was considered a spiritual illness rather than a physical one. (Nemade 2007)
While Depression and anxiety can often go hand in hand (almost 50% of people diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder), Anxiety is also its own distinct condition. Medical News Today defines Anxiety as a “general term for several disorders that cause nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worrying.” Anxiety disorders affect how we feel and behave and can cause physical symptoms as well, like increased blood pressure. Though mild anxiety is unsettling, severe anxiety can seriously affect the daily life of the patient. Anxiety disorders affect 40 million people in the United States and it is the most common group of mental illnesses in the country. (MNT Editorial Team 2017)
The following infographic by the Washington Post illustrates the presence of mental health disorders across world:
Figure 1: Clinical Depression Across the World (Dewey 2013)
It is interesting to note that economic development is not the best indicator for rates of depression. While some African countries have high rates of depression and some developed countries such as the United States and Canada have lower rates of depression, there are scores of outliers. For example, Mexico and India are both developing countries with lower rates of depression, while some developed European countries have higher rates of depression. Some of the well known causes of depression are past physical/emotional abuse, medications, and genetic predisposition, amongst several others. (Medicine Net 2018)
Major depressive disorder is most common for people between the ages of 25-44 years, with the average age of onset gradually decreasing (All About Depression 2018). The biggest group of people around this age are college students, and off late mental health is something that is widely studied across colleges and the entire country. One such study conducted at Penn State University found that anxiety had surpassed depression as the leading mental health issue facing college students. According to the study of over 100,000 students, more than half of the students that visited the campus health clinics listed anxiety as one of their concerns, and that one in six college students (15.8%) had been diagnosed with, or treated for, anxiety. However, by no means does it look like this is becoming any less of an issue. The survey that they conducted also found that the number of students claiming that anxiety had affected or hindered their academic performance (receiving a lower grade on a project/receiving an incomplete/dropping a course) had increased from 18.2% in 2008 to 21.9% in 2016. The same metric for depression, had increased from 11.2% in 2008 to 13.8% in 2016. (Brown 2016)
Unfortunately, just having depression or anxiety is not the issue. Often times these mental health issues manifest themselves in self-harm. According to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Penn State, “anxiety and depression are now pervasive on college campuses”, and nearly a third of depressed students were so depressed that it was difficult to function. Some of these are driven to suicidal thoughts and sometimes even actions. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college-aged youth. (Dr. Heitler 2016)
The following chart gives a breakdown of various feelings and thoughts experienced by college students.
Figure 2: Breakdown of Depressive Symptoms (WordPress 2014)
There are several reasons as to why anxiety or depression is something that college students deal with on a regular basis. One of them is the constant presence of technology in the lives of the students. Social media has shown to actually impair social interactions and increase the sense of isolation, as it fosters a competition between one’s actual life and one’s virtual life. This addiction to a cell phone also leads to sleep disorders, which accentuates mental health issues due to lack of rest. (David 2018)
Another cause for concern is students constantly seeking out stimulant drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall to enhance learning and study intensity. Despite the fact that depression and anxiety is a well known side effect of the drug, students taking the drugs without a prescription are at an increased threat of developing these mental health issues (David 2018). This is a direct example of medicalization, and can be directly related to what we have learned in Politics of Health regarding this issue. In this case, students are realising an issue regarding concentration, but are jumping directly to get a medical diagnosis and prescription for it.
Another contributing factor is the excessive alcohol and drug use culture on college campuses. Studies have shown that other mental health conditions may often co-exist with major depressive disorder, such as alcohol/drug abuse (All About Depression 2018). With easy access to these, students are quickly able to resort to these ineffective forms of stress relief as opposed to seeking out sound medically approved forms of stress relief such as exercise, good sleep habits, good diet etc. Dori Hutchinson, Director of services at BU’s Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, says Depression and anxiety are two sides of the same coin and that both are treatable with therapy, lifestyle changes, and medication when indicated—and sometimes a combination of all three (Brown 2016).
Works Cited
ADAA. Facts & Statistics. 1 January 2016. https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics# (accessed February 17, 2018).
All About Depression. Major Depressive Disorder. 18 February 2018. http://www.allaboutdepression.com/dia_03.html (accessed February 18, 2018).
APA. What is Depression. 1 January 2018. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression (accessed February 17, 2018).
Brown, Joel. ANXIETY THE MOST COMMON MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS IN COLLEGE STUDENTS. 2 October 2016. http://www.bu.edu/today/2016/college-students-anxiety-and-depression/ (accessed February 18, 2018).
David, Rosenberg. 1 in 5 college students have anxiety or depression. Here’s why. 9 February 2018. http://theconversation.com/1-in-5-college-students-have-anxiety-or-depression-heres-why-90440 (accessed February 18, 2018).
Dewey, Caitlin. A stunning map of depression rates around the world. 3 November 2013. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/11/07/a-stunning-map-of-depression-rates-around-the-world/?utm_term=.070f3d62e880 (accessed February 18, 2018).
Dr. Heitler, Susan. The Disturbing Truth About Anxiety and Depression in College. 20 March 2016. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/resolution-not-conflict/201603/the-disturbing-truth-about-anxiety-and-depression-in-college (accessed February 19, 2018).
Medicine Net. Depression: Causes of Depression. 1 January 2018. https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55167 (accessed February 18, 2018).
MNT Editorial Team. Anxiety: Causes, symptoms, and treatments. 12 December 2017. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety (accessed February 17, 2018).
Nemade, Rashmi. Historical Understandings Of Depression. 19 September 2007. https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/historical-understandings-of-depression/ (accessed February 18, 2018).
WordPress. MENTAL ILLNESS: FROM THE EYES OF A COLLEGE STUDENT. 10 November 2014. https://nomorestigmakula.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/ (accessed February 18, 2018).
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