If a student is at risk for depression, the University of Wisconsin is eager to provide resources. They can drop by the recently announced Let’s Talk program, talk to a trusted House Fellow or staff member about stressors or even make use of little pick-me-ups like the stuffed animals and blankets Ebling Library provides.
If a student suspects they are depressed, they can self-assess online, schedule an appointment with University Health Services or call the Division of Student Life.
But if a student does not realize they are depressed, chances are these resources will go unused. That is why it was unsurprising when a study published earlier this month in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry found that a third of the students who screened positive for depression had not previously sought help.
The study, which is based on 1,622 participants at four campuses, including UW, screened students seeking any type of care at university health centers for depression. The result? Roughly one in four students exhibited symptoms that would classify them as depressed on the Beck Depression Inventory. Thoughts of suicide occurred in 13 percent of men and 10 percent of women.
That means that close to one in 10 students had the potential to be newly diagnosed as depressed. That is a huge number of undiagnosed cases at UW and an indication that thousands of students are being overlooked.
No campus is exempt from the simple fact that college breeds stressors linked to depression. Students go through massive life changes during the move to campus. Alcohol is everywhere. Time is short, and working out becomes more difficult. With all these factors bearing down on its students each and every day, UW should jump at the chance to launch an initiative concentrated on catching those falling through the cracks.
Being screened for depression should be a default part of any visit to UHS. The study points out that people who visit health care centers are more likely to be depressed than the general population, meaning UHS would be an effective place to focus anti-depression efforts.
As the study was partially conducted and analyzed at UW, the infrastructure is already in place to begin implementing testing on a long-term basis. Students already complete an online questionnaire before each visit, meaning BDI questions could be deployed with an already-familiar platform.
There are some drawbacks to this system. The study notes that in cases where people know exactly what they are being screened for, it is easy to shape answers to present oneself in a different manner. Screening people without their knowledge would be the answer to this, but an unlikely one ethically and given the media attention diagnosis efforts would probably receive. Overcoming these questions would be some of the key goals for UHS, and they should by no means rule out wide-scale screening.
Suicide ranks third as a cause of death among teenagers and young adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is unacceptable, and a statistic that should be taken with an especially heavy heart on a campus that has had its share of tragedies. Studies have shown that in the U.S., a median of 11 years pass between when mental health symptoms manifest themselves and a person seeks health services. UHS and UW need to fight this trend with everything they have. This means not only widespread prevention resources and awareness, but full-on efforts to monitor the entire student population.
Signe Brewster is a junior majoring in life sciences communication. If you or a friend is in a mental health crisis, call UHS’s 24-hour crisis line at 608-265-5600 x9.
Infobox information:
At a glance
Females Males
Frequency of depression: 26.4% 24.7%
Freshmen 30.6 20
Sophomores 29.5 26.9
Juniors 29.8 27
Seniors 26.9 25.9
Master’s 19.1 23.3
Doctoral or professional 20.9 23.3
Other 41.2 33.3
Frequency of suicidal thoughts: 10 13
