William Mancia

Professor Batty

English 101

26 March 2019

Combating Depression Across Campus

In recent years studies have proven that over 1 in 4 college students have faced

depression at some point as an undergraduate. It goes without saying that this is a serious issue

that must be addressed considering that depression leads to serious phycological, physical and

academic impacts if not treated within a timely manner. Depression affects a student’s academic

performance and health, therefore every campus should establish a treatment center for

depression as well as encouraging students to engage more in campus activities. Although there

are many hotlines and a plethora of medications readily available to treat this issue, they have

been ignored or proven to be ineffective for a large number of people.

The prevalence and severity of mental health issues are increasing among college

students, and such issues pose a serious threat to their health and academic performance. College

students are faced with a rollercoaster of emotional changes that are directly correlated to the

stress caused by transitioning into college life, considering that they must create new social

circles and manage their academic responsibilities. A study conducted by the University of Texas

San Antonio on 66,159 undergraduates all across the country revealed that 23% of those students

reported experiencing depression, out of that percentage 51% percent of those students reported

that it played a major role in previous negative academic results. Regarding the health aspect

“the study notes that untreated depression is associated with suicide, one of the leading causes of

death for 15-24-year-old people” (Wyatt 183), this undoubtedly proves the seriousness of the
issue and the negative impact it has on students that are unable, or at times unwilling to seek

help.

There are many reasons for which students reject traditional treatments to help fight

depression, either it is a major inconvenience or they simply haven’t taken a chance to test if it

works. The University of California Los Angeles developed a team-based approach to treatment

in which they incorporated depression evaluation, pharmacological and phycological treatment.

Upon concluding the experiment, “After six months of care, students in the program were

significantly less depressed than those who had undergone traditional therapy” (Crime 2005),

Crime also states that these students achieved clinically meaningful improvements in mental

health and quality of life. It seems as if convenience plays a major role in students to reach out

and seek help, which is why establishing this sort of program is essential in all campus’ so they

are readily available at any time.

There is much said about anti-depressants regarding its effectiveness as well as its

negative aspects. They could be considered a good alternative to traditional treatment for those

facing moderate, severe, and chronic depression, however many people reported unpleasant side

effects, no improvement, and in some cases, they relapsed after they stopped taking the drug.

“Some of these side effects are believed to be a direct consequence of the medication's effect on

the brain and are relatively similar among various drugs of the same group. Patients who are

taking antidepressants sometimes have a dry mouth, headaches, feel faint, anxious, and have a

decreased sex drive.” (IQWIG 2017), these side effects could more than likely even hinder a

student’s ability to even attend class, which would put them in even more of a predicament.

Additionally, 23 out of 100 people taking anti-depressants relapsed within the first and second

year while 40-60 percent noticed an improvement. Furthermore, antidepressants aren’t always
free, for instance the average amount spent on this drug a month is as high as 200 dollars. Many

students across campus already have a hard time coping with their financial situation so this

simply would not be an option. Overall, antidepressants are a good alternative to standard

treatment but they just aren’t for everyone.

Engaging in campus activities is essential and should be seriously considered for those

facing depression as it helps build new friendships and most of all gets your mind off of all the

negative things that depression feeds off of. Oscar Castro is a University of Virginia Alumni that

faced many difficulties transitioning into the college lifestyle and adapting to its academic

rigorousness. “At times I would find myself eating my life away because I didn’t have anyone to

hang out with, I would show up to class and felt clueless half the time because High School

never prepared me for this. I was lost, sad, and confused, my only friends were hundreds of miles

away and I didn’t have anyone I could talk to about my problems. One day I found out about a

Mentor and Mentee program the school had to offer so I went right ahead and signed up, I met a

guy that recommended I join the salsa dance club because I absolutely love dancing. Long story

short, my years in that club were my best college years, I’m still friends with everyone I met, not

to mention that they were the reason I didn’t drop out of college as I thought that might be an

option at the darkest of times, the people I met basically invited me to all sorts of social

gatherings in which I made all sorts of friends.” (Castro). Each and everyone has their own

problems for which they find themselves depressed, it’s evident that a possible solution is putting

yourself out there and meeting new people, after all there isn’t anything much to lose.

If this issue is not addressed, there are consequences that unfortunately the students

would end up having to pay. Kim Eckart from the University of Washington states “A study of

college students around the state shows the prevalence of depression and anxiety. Suicide
prevention advocates say this illustrates the need for more mental health resources on campus”

(Eckart). Additionally, the national data reveals that 11 percent of students reported having

suicidal thought, while 5 percent actually had a plan to end their life. Whether these statistics are

small or large it’s a human life that’s at stake that will never be replaced, which is why

incorporating facilities and resources for students to use and combat their depression at an early

stage is essential.

Depression amongst college students is a matter that should not be taken lightly as it

impacts a student in various aspect that are a detriment to their overall quality of life and success.

It is apparent that campus’ need to be more attentive to the needs of their students, the statistics

prove that depression is becoming a major issue all around the country. Depression poses a

serious threat to a student’s academic performance and health, which is why schools should act

and establish treatment centers on campus and encourage students to engage in campus activities

and clubs. Although there are already plenty of ways to combat depression such as traditional

treatment or antidepressants, they are either not being used or they just simply don’t work.
 Bibliography

Eckart, Kim. Depression, Anxiety Affect More than One-Fourth of State’s College Students.

University of Washington News, 30 Jan. 2018,

www.washington.edu/news/2018/01/30/depression-anxiety-affect-more-than-one-fourth-of-

states-college-students/.

IQWIG. “How Effective Are Antidepressants? .” Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health

Care, 12 Jan. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK361016/.

"Team treatment approach can improve recovery of depressed students." Campus Crime, Jan.

2005, p. 9. Academic OneFile,

http://library.lavc.edu:2102/apps/doc/A129704098/AONE?u=lavc_main&sid=AONE&xid=d3a1

6e53. Accessed 21 Mar. 2019.

“What Are the Real Risks of Anti Depressants?” Harvard Medical School, Harvard Health

Publishing, 19 Mar. 2019, www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/what-are-the-real-risks-of-

antidepressants.

Wyatt, Tammy Jordan, et al. “Mental Health and Academic Performance of First-Year College

Students.” International Journal of Higher Education, vol. 6, no. 3, Jan. 2017, pp. 178–

187. EBSCOhost,

library.lavc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ

1146574&site=eds-live.
 Professor feedback: William, you have chosen a very interesting problem! You also have

proposed a clear solution. Some of your points could be developed more, such as the idea of

team-based therapy. How does this work exactly? I also think the paragraph discussing suicide

could be expanded as well. When you have a quote of 4 lines or more, you have to do a “block

quote” format. You need to fix your MLA citations, especially the in-text citations, which you

have formatted using APA style. Overall, excellent work!

Student Feedback: 1) Title is both creative and straight forward, all topic sentences

support the thesis and states a specific problem and solution. All paragraphs pose examples and

evidence backing up their claim. There is also a counterargument and rebuttal and there are no

major grammatical errors. Its hard to tell if the essay is 3 to 4 pages.

2) Title is informative but not as creative, clear argument with points that support thesis and

topic sentences. No pacing issues while reading and it seemed well organized, not repetitive at

all. Paragraphs are developed with enough evidence; the quotes are effective and used

appropriately. There is a counter argument and rebuttal. The essay is free of distracting grammar

errors and is longer than 3 pages.