· 48.7% of college
counseling centers participated in depression screening days (up from 41.6%),
referring 37% of students
to counseling
· 54.6% of students affirmed that counseling
helped them to remain enrolled
From the Poynter Institute:
Virginia Tech story is
starting to develop, in part, as a story about a depressed and angry person. I
urge you to put some context on the issue of depression and not allow your
stories to paint people with depression as psychotic killers in waiting. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says: (http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d001201-d001300/d001247/d001247.html)
Depression is one of the world's oldest and most common ailments. It can have
both physical and psychological symptoms. Millions of Americans are estimated
to suffer from depression, a condition so widespread that it has been dubbed
"the common cold of mental illness."
Depression is not something
that you can snap out of. It can be associated with a chemical imbalance in the
brain. Depression is a condition that knows no age boundary. In 2000, 10
percent of college students and 13 percent of college women were diagnosed with
depression [PDF] (http://www.dmhas.state.ct.us/prevention/suicideprevention/collegedata.pdf)
(National Mental Health Association, 2000).
Take a look at the 2005
National College Health Assessment Survey data (http://www4.nau.edu/fronske/NCHA2005survey.htm)
. Read the Executive Summary here [PDF] (http://cumc.columbia.edu/student/health/pdf/NCHA%202005%20Executive%20Summary.pdf)
. The report says this about college students:
Depression
ranked fourth in top 10 physical and mental problems. 37 percent
of students have felt so depressed it was difficult to function.
51.2 percent of students have felt things were hopeless.
6.6 percent of females and 4.1 percent of males have seriously
considered suicide.
Among young people,
depression is more prevalent than you might think. The
COLLEGE
STUDENT SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION DATA
National
Data:
· Suicide 2nd
leading cause of death among college students
· In the past 60
years, suicide rate has quadrupled for males 15 to 24 years old, and
has doubled for females
of the same age (CDC, 2002).
· Males between the
ages of 20 and 24 were 6.6 times more likely than females to
complete suicide in 2001.
(American Association of Suicidology, 2001 data).
· In 2000, 10% of
college students and 13 % of college women were diagnosed
with depression (National
Mental Health Association, 2000)
· 18-24 year-olds
think about suicide more often than any other age group
· More than 90
percent of people who kill themselves have a diagnosable mental
health disorder, commonly
a depressive disorder or a substance abuse disorder.
2005
NCHA Survey Data (N = 54,111 surveys):
· Depression ranked
4th in top ten physical and mental problems
· 45% of students so
depressed could not function
· 56% of students
felt hopeless
· 11% of females and
9% of males seriously considered suicide
2005
· 90.3% of directors
believe the # of center clients w/severe psychological problems
has increased (increase
from 86% in 2004)
· 48.7% of centers
participated in depression screening days (up from 41.6%),
referring 37% of students
to counseling
· 54.6% of students
affirmed that counseling helped them to remain enrolled
References/Resources
· American
Association of Suicidology, 2001 data www.suicidology.org
· American
Foundation for Suicide Prevention, www.afsp.org
COLLEGE
STUDENT SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION DATA
· Centers for
Disease Control, 2001-2002 data. CDC WISQARS Fatal and
Nonfatal, 2001
· Murphy, S. L.
(2000). Deaths: Final date for 1998. National
Vital Statistics
Report,
48 (11). DHHS Publication No.
· (PHS) 2000-1120.
· Here for Life,
www.hereforlife.org
· The Jason
Foundation, Inc., www.jasonfoundation.org
Association.
· National Mental
Health Association, 2000
· National Survey of
Counseling Center Directors, 2005. Gallageher, Robert P.
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