For some people, every day is a struggle. Simple tasks take more effort than usual, and life is dull.
Elizabeth is a business senior at ASU who understands this struggle. She is suffering from severe depression. She is still in treatment and asked that her last name remain anonymous.
"It feels like I have a black cloud over my head," she said. "Getting up in the morning is harder and I feel so completely alone."
But Elizabeth is anything but alone. Greg Shrader, a psychologist at Counseling and Consultation, said about 19 million Americans suffer from depression, 10 percent of which are college students and 13 percent are college women.
Counseling and Consultation, located in the Student Services Building, provides confidential psychological and psychiatric services for ASU students. These services include assessment, individual and couples counseling, group counseling, psychiatric services, crisis intervention, referrals and after- hours emergency support.
All services are offered at a substantially discounted rate compared to private services and are completely confidential.
After a particularly difficult year in which Elizabeth had some family problems, a break-up with a long-term boyfriend and a heavy schedule of classes, she said everything started to go downhill. With the pressure of facing the unknown after graduation in December, it all just became way too much to handle.
"I became anxious and just didn't seem to enjoy things I used to. They became monotonous," she said.
Suffering from depression is not easy, she said. "People don't seem to understand what [depression] is if they haven't gone through it themselves. They don't understand how it encompasses every aspect of my life."
Shrader said depression could be especially scary for young adults like Elizabeth. "For students in college it is a very high stress time," he said. "They have moved away from their support systems, and for many, they have never experienced anything like this before. They don't know it will get better or even how it can get better."
Shrader does insist, however, "Depression is a very common mental health concern and a very treatable one. The combination of counseling and anti-depressant medication has proven to be very powerful in breaking the depressive cycle."
The National Mental Health Association (NMHA) states that too often depression goes untreated because people don't realize they exhibit symptoms. Some people may recognize they have some symptoms but are unaware that they are clear symptoms of depression.
According to Counseling and Consultation, people suffering from depression have fairly common symptoms. These include irritability, feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, difficulty sleeping, significant weight loss or weight gain, disappointment with self and waning interest in usual activities. Decreased energy, decreased libido, increased irritability and difficulty concentrating are also common.
"I recognized my symptoms, and after my first time talking with a counselor, I felt a bit relieved," Elizabeth said. "It was nice to finally talk to someone who understood what I was going through."
NMHA said that occasionally people with clinical depression do not have the motivation or energy to seek treatment. It is very important that friends and family help. The best way to express concern when someone is depressed is by helping the depressed person seek treatment.
Sometimes a crisis is so severe that the person feels like he or she can't cope and becomes suicidal. Counseling and Consultation said most people who are suicidal will communicate their thoughts and feelings, and all suicidal communications must be taken seriously. If suicidal tendencies seem to be demonstrated, it is recommended that you listen, help the person explore his or her feelings, communicate your concern for the well being of the person, ask direct questions and recommend that the person contact a mental health professional, or call one yourself. EMPACT, a crisis hotline, is available 24 hours a day at 480-921-1006.
For Elizabeth, taking the first step was the hardest. But after recognizing her life could get better, she felt a weight lifted off her shoulders.
"By getting counseling it has helped provided clarity," she said. "I feel I have a much better understanding of myself and my feelings. Everything isn't better, but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel."
Reach the reporter at sarah.bannan@asu.edu.
