Depression and Mental Health Must Be Taken Seriously in Schools

Depression is the state where the person loses interest and pleasure in life. Leading to suicide in most cases (Williams 12). Depression is categorized as an emotional disorder. A person with depression is always either sad or angry. It also considered a serious mental problem. Although the Congress passed a law in 2008 to improve mental health, a lot of people still don't have access to it (Clemmitt).

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Depression is common nowadays. It has many causes or factors; it can vary from one person to another. As for those who served in wars they might have depression because they went through sets or trauma. Moreover, depression or mental illness can be genetic that is triggered by an event or a shock.(Clemmitt). Another example is student mental health. Student mental health problems can be caused by many factors. One of the reasons, behind the student unstable mentally, is loneliness and not knowing how to build relationships with others. It can be associated with depression. Another reason is not having the right amount of sleep that can increase the amount of stress (Iarovici). There are many other causes of mental health issues or depression.

How mental life affects students' daily life can only be realized by their friends, fellow students, family members, and teachers. If the mental life has some problems, the physical being of the students will be affected. Because of this, they will become victims of sleep problems (erratic sleeping patterns and difficulty in staying awake), change in appetite and chronic fatigue. A depressed life can prevent students from living their life to the fullest. If the mental life affects the mood of the students, the depressed students will have feelings of hopelessness, despairs, and sadness. Also, some students will become self-centered and easily offended as well as quick to snap. There are also chances of losing track of things and having difficulties to know the actual dates and day. Stress in moderation can be effective for managing stress can be healthier to the overall mental being of the students. Stress forces a student to change diet, sleeping pattern and cause fatigue. Depression can make students feel sad and cause a reduction in academic performance. Moreover, untreated depression can interfere with daily activities of the students since it lasts for a long period. A student who suffers from depression is likely to ignore his good characters as well as success. Also, since new students are facing new challenges in schools such as being exposed to new cultures, they can be depressed and their success negatively affected.

Stakeholder

College students are significantly affected by this problem. I personally as a student has been through a lot. All these exams, homework, and classes are adding great stress. Most of the student undergo the same thing. We all should face the fact that we need to work hard. That kind of thought brings as great mental stress. Some of us must also deal with the fact that "I'm not with my family because they live somewhere else." College students have mental health issues more than other individuals (Iarovici). Statics shows that around 85 % of college student drop out before graduation due to mental problems (Clemmitt). Nevertheless, most students who are suffering from mental problems do not seek help. Some do not know of any treatment, or they assume that the treatment may not work for them. Other students think that their mental problems are beyond the ordinary while others fear that they will be judged or feel week when others realize that they have mental problems.

The second stakeholder is the family of the student. They go through a lot seeing their son or daughter suffering from depression. They feel might feel responsible. The whole family might get affected by the fact that one member of the family has depression and mental health problems.

The last stakeholder is the university. The university can be greatly affected by depressed students. Having a lot of depressed students on campus can be a bad reputation for the university. That could lead the university to have many issues such as an unsafe campus or a negative atmosphere. On the other hand, some students perceive workload to be the major cause of their depression in the University(Atindanbila & Abasimi 2). For the university to succeed in reducing depression among students, lowering their workload can be effective. The university ought to consider expanding the current academic facilities, hire more lecturers (Levy 3) and counselors for the institution of preventive as well as treatment modalities for the students.

Possible Solutions

This problem is not a hard problem to solve. There are many solutions. One is going to therapies and talk to them about your problem. Make sure they listen because sometimes you only need a person to listen.Two, people need to acknowledge the problem and want to treat it. Facing the fact that the problem is there. Also, having other people by your sides such as family members or friends. Depression can also be treated with either working out or certain exercise. The university can play a big part in fixing this problem. They can arrange events for depressed students to come and talk about what they feel. That might show a depressed student that he or she is not alone in this situation. Showing that the university and their surrounding support them.

Some depressed students find it difficult to share their problems. Some do not know that they are suffering from depression. Therefore, the best solution here is to talk to them if they are not ready to open up.It is important that depressed students should find someone to talk to. If they find it difficult to seek help from their friends, the best place to get help is at school. The students ought to communicate with a counselor or a faculty member.

Since there are moments when depression symptoms can be severe, depressed students should consider hanging out with other student and have fun. Going out with the intention of having fun can reduce depression. Depressed students ought to participate in the activities they like. A new activity can divert the mind of the depressed person off negative thoughts. Also, the depressed people can change their moods when he meets with other people who make them feel less depressed. Also, mindfulness can also be effective in treating depression. Depressed students should consider practicing regular meditation in order to relax their mind in addition to increasing their concentration level. Eating healthy and maintaining regular fitness can reduce depression. Another possible way of dealing with dealing with depression is taking antidepressants.

Some students take their mental health seriously, and they are always ready to do anything to ensure that they are not depressed. On the other hand, some do not take it seriously: even after realizing they are depressed, they do not take any initiative to look for solutions. When it comes to the effectiveness of the treatment, opinion varies based on how the treatment relieves depression's symptoms. Some people believe that the treatment cannot help, while others believe that it is essential. The treatment can help in certain situations, but not all. Just like other treatments, solutions for depression can help some people in certain situations. They are effective when it comes to dealing with severe, moderate and chronic depression among students. Nevertheless, the treatment is not recommended for mild depression. On the other hand, solutions or treatment for depression has side effects.

To prevent people from killing themselves, it is important to have an understanding of what is making them consider killing themselves (Radwan 2). Therefore, this will be of great importance in understanding people's pain and coming up with strategies on how you can prevent them from committing suicide. Another thing is being a source of encouragement to such people: telling them about the beauty of life, regardless of what the challenges they are facing. Giving them much attention can make them feel that they are important. Hence they will not have time to think about committing suicide.

Conclusion

In as much as depression has become a major problem among students, there are measures that can be taken to prevent them. Nevertheless, the treatment can be effective in certain conditions, but not at all since it is associated with some side effects.

Works Cited

Atindanbila, Samuel & Abasimi, Edward. "Depression and coping strategies among students in the University of Ghana." University of Ghana, 2011. Print

Clemmitt, Marcia. "Treating Depression." CQ Researcher, 26 June 2009, pp. 573-96, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2009062600.

Iarovici, Doris. Mental Health Issues and the University Student, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/wvu/detail.action?docID=3318797.

Levy, Leah. "Classroom Strategies for Helping Depressed Teen Students." Edudemic, 5 March 2015. Web. 26 March 2018.

Williams, Bella. "Depression on Campus; What's the Solution?" The Good Men Project, 2017. Web. 26 March 2018.