What Causes Depression in College Students?

     Students and people from the scientific world are more likely to suffer from mental disorders. Every year, universities spend millions on maintaining mental health among students and staff. And parents and researchers periodically ask the question: does education harm a healthy state of mind?

     Almost always, experiences affect the physical state of the body: depression is accompanied by loss of appetite, weakness, inhibition in actions, reactions, and speech, problems with sleep and concentration. Some people have impaired bowel function and sexual needs, headaches, heart or stomach aches, and skin diseases.

What Causes Depression in College Students?

     A person who is in a state of depression usually looks passive, closed, irritable. He avoids communication, refuses the usual entertainment. May abuse alcohol, drugs, promiscuous sex. The international classification of diseases distinguishes different forms of depression: depressive episode; recurrent depressive disorder; bipolar disorder.

Two Major Factors Causing Depression

     If we had to write a list of factors that may cause depressed states among humans in general, we would need to write a PhD paper, and it still would not be enough. That is why, here we present two generalized groups of factors that can result in depression among adults and younger people of almost any age.

Mental factors

     Some people feel they are not worthy of love and respect. They try to earn them: they try to act well, correctly, ideally - this is how perfectionism develops. This method of compensation has a negative effect: a person accepts himself only when he or other people do not see flaws in him. And this is either a short-term phenomenon, or unattainable. Constant dissatisfaction with oneself also leads to depression.

     The absence of personal boundaries leads to the fact that a person "dissolves" in a relationship. He does not live his own life, because in order to feel alive, he needs the presence of another person. When the distance is closed, the donor person feels pressure and tries to get out of this “suffocating” relationship. A person dependent on him will feel this as an irreparable loss, a loss of himself.

Socio-cultural factors

     The social mechanisms for the development of depression are embedded in the culture. The media and traditions broadcast the rules accepted in society. In developed countries, you need to be successful, rational, wealthy - good enough to be happy. If a person compares himself to others and sees their superiority, he may develop depression.

Factors Causing Depression Among Students in XXI Century

     When it comes to suicide risk, college students are no different from other groups, no matter what headlines the tabloids might be scared of. But in terms of depression and other disorders, alas, universities are indeed ahead of many other industries.

     Differences between the academic environment and the "real world" can become a psychogenic factor. For students, the triggers are the transition from parental home to adulthood, deadlines, exams, and financial problems. For bachelors, the critical first year is when students have to go through many changes. According to theories of change, depression is one of the inevitable stages of adaptation, and few people manage to avoid it. But its depth and duration will depend on the student's personal qualities, including adaptive abilities and the ability to withstand stress.

     Social anxiety. Being in a new group can be rather stressful. Also, a changed environment comes with new social rules that may be not explicit from the very beginning. Our desire to fit in is more than natural and can lead to anxiety, which can lead to obsession and depression.

     Social isolation. Students working on their Masters and PhD often work in almost full isolation. High concentration, little amount of meaningful supportive contacts, high pressure of the academic work itself can be rather disorienting. Feeling excluded from social life can trigger depression too.

     Unreasonable deadlines. More often students complain about unreasonable deadlines for most of the tasks. While you may not need that much time to deal with one or too many tasks, when they pile up, it can be very stressful. A good thing here is that you can always address and pay a professional writing service, such as WriteMyPaperHub.com, and have your essays or papers written online by experts to make your load lighter. Sometimes, you just need someone to write an original and high-quality paper for you for cheap, while you spend your time the way you want.

     Career prospects. More and more students confirm that they are not sure how their career will develop after they graduate college or university. Every year professional market changes and COVID-19 pandemic didn’t make things easier. It increases pressure and makes students question their professional choices, at the same time when they need to keep up with all the academic assignments they are not even sure will ever come in handy. Some students feel frustrated thinking of the choices they have made, as they see that they won’t be able to get rid of student loans fast enough or earn the amount of money they see appropriate.

How to Address First Symptoms of Depression

     Depression should not be underestimated, it is a much more complex process than just a bad mood or sadness, with which it is often confused. Do not self-diagnose or self-medicate - depression has different forms, different severity, different duration. What helped a friend may not work or even hurt.

     Alas, special care will have to be taken when communicating with people, including family and friends. Many, of course, already know how to provide support in difficult situations. But in the post-Soviet environment, depression is often treated either with distrust (“you just have to start thinking positively”) or stigmatize (“everyone in our family was normal, what such a depression”). If there is a risk that in the communication you will run into not understanding and support, but advice "to hold on" or "just smile", perhaps it is better to look for help elsewhere.