Leaving home is a major step toward adulthood that many college
students take. For some, the stresses of college can push them into
an area beyond unhappiness, where nothing is possible and life
becomes overwhelming. The depression these students feel can be
persistent, changing the way they think and affecting their
relationships with others.
But with proper care, depression can be cured.
“We think of depression as a kind of mental illness that
does not go away without treatment,” said Dr. Harold Pruett,
director of Student Psychological Services, a multidisciplinary
mental health center for the UCLA community.
The National Institute of Mental Health reported in 1998 that
about 19 million adults suffer from depressive disorders on any
given year, with nearly twice as many women as men being
affected.
Losing a significant other or a breakup in a relationship causes
a feeling of sadness or mourning, but sadness is not depression,
Pruett said.
Events can lead to depression if accompanied with long term
feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness and a loss of self
esteem.
SPS helps students cope with any kind of issues in their lives
that may affect their well being.
Two clinics, located in the Math Sciences building and Center
for Health Sciences, deal with mostly the same issues other
psychological clinics do, such as family, friends and work.
College students, however, are more unique with an age range of
18 to 24. A regular clinic typically sees people from a wider age
range, Pruett said. The competitive, academic environment of most
of their patients is also different from other clinics.
One of the most common issues for which students seek help are
relationship problems. Academics, family expectations and roommate
problems are other sources of stress that can affect
students’ health.
“Left untreated, students can overcome it themselves with
a good solid supportive system,” Pruett said.
However, those diagnosed with clinical depression don’t
simply outgrow it.
Clinical depression has biological origins and often runs in the
family. It is separated into three types of depression: major
depression, dysthymic depression and bipolar or manic
depression.
The causes of depression are widely unknown. But a study in the
July issue of Science showed a direct genetic link between
emotional stress and depression.
Adults in the study who had a short form of a gene that helps
regulate serotonin, a neurotransmitter, were more likely to slip
into depression after a traumatic life experience than those with
the long form of the gene.
Diagnosis of clinical depression is difficult, and requires a
professional evaluation. The first step toward diagnosis is to
recognize that something is wrong.
Students then go through an interview to determine the current
symptoms and history of depression. An intervention plan, which can
include further evaluation, medication or psychotherapy, is later
mapped out.
An increasing number of students diagnosed with clinical
depression arrive to UCLA already on medication.
“In general, it probably doesn’t complicate things
unless the student has been placed on medication deemed
inappropriate,” Pruett said.
Often, students have been placed on psychiatric medication
prescribed by general physicians who don’t understand the
complexity of the medication.
In June, the Journal of the American Medical Association
published a report stating only 21 percent of depressed patients
received adequate care.
Current research conducted at UCLA on the care of depressed
patients has often involved the direct participation of students
diagnosed with clinical depression.
One of the many current studies involves the effects of taking
two antidepressants rather than one to treat depression.
“We’re looking to get people better faster,”
said Joni Zuckerbrow- Miller, recruitment manager for the UCLA Mood
Disorder Research Program.
Participants go through a rigorous examination before being
eligible to participate in any of the numerous studies, which
typically run at least six weeks, Zuckerbrow-Miller said.
With reports from Patricia Ju, Bruin contributor.