College pressure can lead to depression
Angela Marino
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: News
One of the great barriers to treating depression is that while it is common, people don't talk about it, an SJSU psychologist said.
Most people who are depressed do not have suicidal thoughts, but it can happen, said David Emmert, a Counseling Services Center psychologist.
"Suicide results in a desire to get release from unbearable pain, not the actual desire to die, but more of an escape from the sadness and worthlessness feeling," he said.
Desiree Ansari, a freshman public relations major, said she approached a friend about her unusual behavior.
"She sleeps all day long and cries all the time," Ansari said. "She is struggling to transition from being away from her family to living in the dorms, and she is thinking about transferring closer to home."
Approximately 17 percent of SJSU students reported experiencing symptoms of depression within the past 12 months, according to the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Web site, which describes the organization as a voice for student affairs administration and policy.
In a 2009 study, researchers found that 15 percent of graduate students and 18 percent of undergraduate students have considered attempting suicide in their lifetimes, according to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center Web site, which is published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Causes of Depression
Emmert said college students are prone to perfectionism and self-critical thinking until about the age of 25.
"Some common thoughts among people this age are, 'If I can't graduate, then I am never going to get a good job and what's the point of even living,'" he said.
It is typical to have a lot of pressure during the college years, Emmert said.
Many factors are compiled when a student is depressed, he said.
Certain anxiety factors could be a student who is the first to graduate from college within their family or the high cost of tuition expenses, Emmert said.
Most people who are depressed do not have suicidal thoughts, but it can happen, said David Emmert, a Counseling Services Center psychologist.
"Suicide results in a desire to get release from unbearable pain, not the actual desire to die, but more of an escape from the sadness and worthlessness feeling," he said.
Desiree Ansari, a freshman public relations major, said she approached a friend about her unusual behavior.
"She sleeps all day long and cries all the time," Ansari said. "She is struggling to transition from being away from her family to living in the dorms, and she is thinking about transferring closer to home."
Approximately 17 percent of SJSU students reported experiencing symptoms of depression within the past 12 months, according to the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Web site, which describes the organization as a voice for student affairs administration and policy.
In a 2009 study, researchers found that 15 percent of graduate students and 18 percent of undergraduate students have considered attempting suicide in their lifetimes, according to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center Web site, which is published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Causes of Depression
Emmert said college students are prone to perfectionism and self-critical thinking until about the age of 25.
"Some common thoughts among people this age are, 'If I can't graduate, then I am never going to get a good job and what's the point of even living,'" he said.
It is typical to have a lot of pressure during the college years, Emmert said.
Many factors are compiled when a student is depressed, he said.
Certain anxiety factors could be a student who is the first to graduate from college within their family or the high cost of tuition expenses, Emmert said.
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