Last year, out of more than 900 University of Oregon students registered with the Accessible Education Center, 172 reported having a primary psychological disability. This means that 20 percent suffer from disabilities such as depression, post-tramatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder and many other related disorders.
Despite being called a disability, having a psychological deficit is something that is very common for many individuals, including college students. According to the 2012 National Student Health Survey, out of the 1,442 students who participated, 500 reported feeling so depressed in the last year that it was difficult to function.
“Students do not have to report mental illness to anyone at any time in order to be a member of our community, and there is a lot of stigma associated with mental illness, making students hesitant to report,” Stan Dura, director of Student Affairs Assessment and Research, said.
Similarly in 2011, the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment took a nationwide survey of college students at two- and four-year institutions and found that about 30 percent of college students reported feeling so depressed that it was difficult to sleep, eat and do everyday activities at some time in the past year.
“It’s a very common public health problem. For a 15 to 20 year old, suicide is the third-most common cause of death,” said Robert Brasted, psychiatrist and medical director of behavioral health at PeaceHealth. “A younger person has a brain still in development. You put a lot of these stressful things together and you might not deal with those things so well. And there you have a recipe for some possible depression.
Brasted explained that depression is made up of biological, psychological and social factors and despite the normality and frequency of the problems, there are still negative connotations about mental disorders. There are a number of things in students’ everyday life that can contribute to feeling overwhelmed and depressed. He explains that public health education needs to be made more prominent on campus and that if students are exposed to these resources, they may be better off when a critical situation occurs.
“Information needs to be given out to everyone and be readily available. That way if you are a person who is getting depressed you can think back to someone you know who has dealt with or been around someone who has dealt with depression,” Brasted said. “It then becomes part of your support system and you are not alone because you know that one-third of college students get moderately depressed.”
UO Active Minds, a club dedicated to supporting those affected by mental health illnesses is hosting the “Awkward Social”on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. to take a step in the right direction to remove the negative stigma associated with mental health illness.
The event promotes the “I Am” campaign, a fight to help anyone affected by a mental illness. There will be poster making, a photobooth and various performances from local bands, a cappella group On The Rocks and improvisational skits.
“Once people see that they are not alone it will be easier for them to reach out to all of the resources we have here on campus,” said Ryan Slight, publicity chair for UO Active Minds. “It’s really changing the conversation from negative effects of mental illnesses to positive ones.”