Academic Stress: A Factor of Depression

“Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness

that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is

also treatable. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities

once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease

a person’s ability to function at work and at home.” (Ranna Parekh, M.D., M.P.H.). Some of

its major symptoms include having anxiety, suicidal thoughts, changes in its menstrual cycle

for girls, disturbed sleep (ex: insomnia), physical pain, lack of motivation, difficulty in making

decisions, low self-esteem, guilt and irritability or easiness in feeling anger and irritation,

being short-tempered.

“Excessive levels of academic stress can result in an increased prevalence of

psychological and physical problems like depression, anxiety, nervousness and stress

related disorders, which in turn can affect their academic results.” (Anoushka Thakkar). One

sited reason of depression is academic stress. Academic stress involves disinterest in

attending classes, exam stress, and the inability to understand a subject. This also includes

having fear in failing its environment’s expectations like academic failures and anxiety of

risking in academic challenges due to fear of anticipating ones required tasks. According to

Anoushka Thakkar, stressors appear in its environment, in school, at home, in its peer

relations and even their neighborhood. But academic stress is not always because of those,

sometimes students are given enough time but they lack of time management especially

because of online influences and temptations. This is where depression occurs that have

certain effects physically, emotionally, socially, and mentally of a person where they will be

having trouble acquiring one’s environment’s needs. And start losing interest involving

themselves to different social interactions and required activities which mainly affects their

relationships to people and even losing their self-esteem.

This can be prevented with such activities that will balance your daily activities. Haily

Fuchs’s recommends having to-do list on the things you need to acquire so you will have a
guide and applying time management. Another way is the reward system, this will motivate

you in completing your task since you will look up to something you can achieve after

fulfilling it, next is don’t spend all your time doing such things and take breaks to breathe,

this might be little excessive but this is necessary to recharge if you find yourself worrying.

Eating healthy will also help, remember to focus on veggies, fruits and high-fiber foods

because foods with high-fat and sugar contents will make you sluggish and unmotivated.

You also need to have a restful sleep, this might be somehow hard to do since you will use

this time to do works if it’s piled high, as much as possible, do your homework that takes

only little time. Last if necessary, seek for help, this might also be your past time to avoid

getting tired while doing work because you have someone to talk to or bond with. And

exercise might also be helpful, in result this will make you feel happy and lest anxious.

“When you’re depressed, it can feel like you’ll never get out from under a dark shadow.

However, even the most severe depression is treatable. So, if your depression is keeping

you from living the life you want to, don’t hesitate to seek help. From therapy to medication

to healthy lifestyle changes, there are many different treatment options available.” (Nancy

Schimelpfening). It is also important to learn as much about your depression if it is a

symptom of a medical condition which should be treated first. Get social support so you will

not deal the medications and treatments alone that can also be leading to fear and

worsening your situation. And it also takes time and commitment, you have to be

determined and committed in the process of your treatment, although it is normal to have

ups and downs but staying as positive as you could and determined is also necessary.
Bibliography:

Parekh, Ranna. “What Is Depression?”. American Psychiatric Association, 800 Maine

Avenue, S.W., Suite 900, Washington, DC, January 2017,

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression

Thakkar, Anoushka. “Academic Stress in Students”. Medium, 65 SPRAGUE STREET

EAST MEZZANINE, SUITE M1 BOSTON, MA 02136, 5 April, 2018,

https://medium.com/one-future/academic-stress-in-students-498c34f064d7

Fuchs, Haily, Nancy Schimelpfening. “10 Tips to Deal With Academic Stress, From One

Student to Another”. O’Connor Professional Group, 745 5th AVENUE SUITE

#500 NEW YORK, NY 10151, 24 August, 2016, https://oconnorpg.com/10-tips-

deal-academic-stress/
Academic Stress: A Factor of Depression

By:

Duron, Journie B.

Escobar, Sienna Noreen D.

Emit, Crizza P.

Estravela, Fae Coleen N.

Fernandez, Trischa Gaile

Grade 8- Lasola