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For some students, the worst is over: finals. For others, the worst is just beginning: the job market. It's the perfect storm.
Every year at this time, some news organization, somewhere, assesses the mental stability of these students/graduates that are being slammed with the stresses associated with completing school, as well as taking the next step: finding a job.
Being in the midst of what many economists are positing is the worst recession since this country's Great Depression doesn't lend its hand to any sort of relief either.
So how exactly are students dealing with all the pressure? Not exactly well according to a just-released survey done by the Associated Press and mtvU .
"Eighty-five percent of the students reported feeling stress in their daily lives in recent months, with worries about grades, school work, money and relationships the big culprits," claim Nancy Benac and Trevor Tompson, with the Associated Press.
The article continues on to say that 42 percent of the student's surveyed have experienced depression related to these stresses in the past weeks. Also detailed are some of the numbers of those experiencing some mild to deep depression.
The one truly shocking detail was that of those students surveyed who had a parent recently lose their job, 13 percent indicated that they had contemplated taking their own life.
Now, I don't claim to have any professional handle on college-related depression, but if you're like me, you probably saw those first few statistics and said, "Big deal! They're college students!" And there has some to be some truth there.
We have long known that poor sleeping habits, abnormal diets (including ones heavy on alcohol), finding work, and taking tests all contribute to stress, and in some cases depression. Heck, you’re not truly a college student without a full night’s sleep and a good dose of your daily coffee.
But the stat about contemplating suicide after a parent loses his/her job really does catch my attention.
Colleges across this country are more than equipped with enough resources for their students to take on their psychological aggravators. Peer groups, counseling departments, residence life departments, and even educators all have a role in encouraging the psychological well-being of students. This generation's stresses are beginning to culminate, and now, more than ever, is the right time for these psychological resources to mobilize and instruct.
As a former Resident Advisor (RA), I know that one of the biggest myths that students believe about depression is that it is shameful for them to seek help, because they are abnormal in their feelings. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Many students are undergoing this at the same time, and knowing that single fact alone is liberating.
Set aside all the unnecessary, hokey, feel-good programs that all too often are on our college campuses, and let's make a concerted effort to reach out to all students, especially the ones who don't reach out to you.
Things will eventually turn up again. Never fear. Article originally published at
Copyright 2009 - The College Pulse Network -
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