He is not overthinking or being petty, but he is really depressed.

Author: Wang Changhong, Chief Physician/Professor, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College

Reviewer: Zhang Zhiyong, Chief Physician, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College

In recent years, a large number of survey reports on college students' mental health have shown that more than 60% of college students have psychological problems to varying degrees. Among them, depression has become an important factor affecting college students' mental health, and incidents of college students committing suicide and hurting others due to depression are often reported in the newspapers.

However, many people do not pay enough attention to depression. When college students show symptoms of depression, they are simply considered to be in a bad mood and will be fine in a few days. This neglectful attitude often leads to the aggravation of depression.

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So, what are the reasons why college students suffer from depression? And how to deal with depression?

Causes of depression among college students

1. Physiological factors From the perspective of genetic factors, like many other diseases, depression tends to run in families. If one of the parents suffers from depression, the probability of the child suffering from the disease will increase by 10% to 13%. Therefore, for college students, depression is likely to be related to family genetics.

2. Personality factors Many studies have found that depressed individuals share some common personality traits that predispose them to depression, such as pessimism, sensitivity, introversion, emotional instability, and less use of positive coping strategies. In other words, students who are introverted and lack self-esteem and self-confidence are more likely to suffer from depression. On the contrary, positive people are less likely to suffer from depression [1].

3. Stress factors: College students are under much more pressure than middle school students.

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First of all, there is academic pressure . On the one hand, the academic pressure of college students is because the major they study may not be what they like, which makes them in conflict and pain for a long time; on the other hand, competition among classmates will also make college students' interpersonal relationships tense, especially the competition for honors, scholarships and postgraduate entrance examinations.

The second is employment pressure . While contemporary college students have more autonomy in choosing jobs, they also face greater employment competition pressure. In recent years, the number of graduates has continued to increase, market demand is relatively saturated, and college students generally have high employment expectations, so college students face very high employment pressure.

Finally, there is emotional pressure . For college students, a romantic relationship is not only a form of interpersonal relationship, but also the basis of self-worth and self-recognition. A breakup not only means losing emotional support, but more importantly, it can also hit one's self-confidence, leading to negative emotional reactions. If these emotions cannot be relieved in a timely manner, they will accumulate day by day and easily lead to depression.

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What are the symptoms of depression in college students

1. Cognitive performance: Depression can cause college students to have difficulty concentrating. They often become distracted and mentally unstable during class. They also have inhibited thinking, slow reactions, and a serious decline in memory. They lose things and become very forgetful in daily life. Their academic performance also continues to decline due to the decline in memory.

2. Emotional manifestations College students are in the golden period of their lives, but depression will be like a dark cloud, blocking the sunshine in their lives. They find that life is no longer fun and there are no goals worth pursuing. Even activities that they used to enjoy very much will feel uninteresting and boring.

They become impatient, extremely sensitive, and often lose their temper with people around them. As a result, interpersonal relationships may become worse and worse, which in turn serves as an adverse stimulus to aggravate depression. All of this may eventually lead to a sense of despair and helplessness in depressed patients.

3. Behavioral manifestations The negative emotions of depression will inevitably lead to changes in the behavior of college students. In action, they will also show a lack of passion for everything and appear passive and closed. They will show an indifferent attitude towards learning and often skip classes. Depression can also make college students lazy. For example, they will completely ignore their personal appearance and the most basic personal hygiene. Even female college students who used to love beauty no longer dress up and often give people a sloppy impression [1].

4. Physical manifestations Depression often causes college students to have many difficult-to-overcome sleep disorders. They often cannot fall asleep, and even if they fall asleep, they are easily awakened. Even the slightest stimulation may wake them up from sleep. In terms of diet, some college students have no appetite due to depression, while others eat a lot, which leads to excessive obesity.

What should college students do if they suffer from depression?

First of all, it should be treated in time . Depression is also called "the cold of the soul", that is, depression is a physical disease, not a complaint without illness. Therefore, patients with depression should have the courage to face the disease, seek help from professionals in time, and conduct psychological intervention. If the degree of depression is more serious, it is necessary to cooperate with drug treatment on the basis of psychological treatment.

Secondly, we must learn to adjust ourselves . Action is the natural enemy of depression. The first thing a depressed person should do is to take action, change their lifestyle, and try to experience a new life.

Finally, take care of your body . College students should treat their bodies as gardens that need to be carefully cultivated and take good care of them, so that they can flourish. When you are depressed, taking care of your body is also an important strategy to get out of depression.

Although the incidence of depression is increasing year by year, there are still many people who do not have a correct understanding of depression. When many college students become depressed, their family and friends usually think that they are in a bad mood, narrow-minded, and think too much. They think that they can just go out and relax and think more positively. In fact, depression is a real disease. Only by correctly understanding depression can we avoid the deterioration of the disease and regain a healthy and sunny life.

References

Huang Xiting, Zheng Yong. Mental Health Education for College Students. 3rd edition. Shanghai: East China Normal University Press, 2020.