Two years ago the Anxiety Disorders Association of America estimated that about 15 percent of college students have depression and about 7 percent have an anxiety disorder. Yet a survey that same year by the American College Health Association found that 43 percent of the students surveyed struggle with depressive symptoms so severe that it left them unable to function properly.

Depression and anxiety come from a combination of genetic, biochemical, environmental, and psychological factors, according to Deirdre Dalsing, a counselor at the UW-Platteville’s Counseling Services. Signs include feelings of sadness, listlessness, or of being overwhelmed, that interfere with one’s daily life and that last for more than two weeks. College students are particularly susceptible to depression or anxiety disorders because they have a lot of new responsibilities and pressures all at once, while at the same time transitioning from high school to independent college life.

Why do so many students suffer with such extreme symptoms? It may be partly because they are unaware that they are suffering the classic symptoms of depression or anxiety, but it is mostly because our current society is so unforgiving of mental health issues. Many students who work up the courage to make an appointment with a counselor admit that they feel stupid for needing help, Dalsing said. Many are also uncomfortable with the thought of counseling because they were taught that seeing a doctor for mental health means that you are crazy or weak. They have been taught to keep their emotions to themselves and have always been expected to just grow up and get over it when they feel upset or sad.

These expectations are unrealistic for even the most strong-minded person. Everyone’s body needs maintenance, the brain included. People have a hard time understanding that these issues are disorders of the brain. It is not in any individual’s power to control them with sheer will. Even expecting to demolish the problem quickly with a few pills is unrealistic. Similarly, one or two visits to a counselor will not make the symptoms magically vanish. Medication can help control symptoms and counselors will teach you how to manage your problems, but it is ultimately your responsibility to help yourself—you have to want to get better and you have to work at it.
Our society needs to approach mental health the same way we would physical health, Dalsing said. For example, when I fell and my wrist still hurt a month later, I went to the doctor. If I felt sad and still felt sad a month later, I should do the same thing. If a friend is feeling anxious or depressed, we should not hesitate to urge him to see a physician, the same as we would do if he had a constant stomachache.

Dalsing continues on to say that we need to be more comfortable sharing our own experiences with one another, too. Since so many college students suffer from depression and anxiety, it is helpful for someone to hear, “Yes, I’ve had that problem before, too. Why don’t you talk to someone in the counseling services? That really worked for me.” When we hear that we are not alone, it makes us feel more hopeful and less self-conscious about our situation. Supporting one another and creating a society that is more open and less judgmental about mental health is important and necessary. Something that affects 43 percent of the people your age is nothing to be ashamed about—rather, it is something that needs to be recognized and understood so that you can learn to deal with it properly and effectively.