Half of Americans will suffer from mental health issues in their lifetime, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The leading issue is depression.
Frequently, those suffering from depression are unaware of their symptoms or don’t want to admit it, said Kristen Harth, counselor and co-adviser of Active Minds.
“Sometimes there’s this negative stigma around depression, but the truth is so many of us have it,” Harth said. “People are walking around with it all the time. We all go through times where we have our good days and bad days. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Depression has many symptoms, said Susie Sympson, adjunct professor of psychology and advisor of Active Minds. Symptoms include depressed mood, which can be expressed as irritability, loss of pleasure or interest, physical aches and pains, changes in appetite and sleeping habits, fatigue, feelings of helplessness, worthlessness, excessive guilt and recurrent thoughts of death in severe cases.
Harth said there are ways for friends and family members to recognize signs of depression.
“A lot of times they’ll become more negative,” she said. “You’ll notice someone who’s complaining a lot or maybe they’re complaining of physical symptoms.”
“If you’re really worried about something, you need to address it,” Sympson said. “It doesn’t matter if they get really angry with you because the alternative could be something you blame yourself for forever.”
Harth said to take a caring approach when confronting someone about his or her depression.
“Often if someone is not aware they’re depressed and are showing those symptoms, they may get angry,” she said. “They may not take it as this person cares about me and wants to help me . . . It’s better to start by saying ‘I really care about you. I’ve noticed some things changing and was hoping we could talk about it.’ Just be open and honest.”
Sympson offers a different approach.
“Ask them if they’ve had changes in their eating behaviors, if their sleeping habits have changed, tell them they just seem to have lost interest in things to you,” Sympson said. “When they agree with these things, tell them these are the symptoms of depression.”
If you suspect you personally may be suffering from depression, counselor Jeff Anderson said to seek help.
“Don’t be afraid to ask [for help] . . . Help is there for the taking,” Anderson said. “Choosing not to get help has consequences as well.”
The college offers the student assistance program in coordination with St. Luke’s Hospital. Once referred by a counselor, this will get the student five free sessions with a licensed psychiatrist, Anderson said.
However, there are additional sources of help on campus, Harth said.
“We like to consider ourselves (counselors) as being an ongoing support for students, too,” Harth said. “We have students here who are being seen by a regular physician or counselor outside of school, but we like to be here to support for the day to day.”
Sympson said there is hope for those who seek help.
“It’s a relatively easily treated thing,” she said. “It’s very few cases that cannot be addressed. People can live a relatively normal, happy life. Sometimes it involves [medical] drugs, sometimes it involves other things, but don’t give up hope and seek help.”
Contact Ashley Jenks, reporting correspondent, at ajenks@stumail.jccc.edu.