The Counseling Center will be open today for depression screenings in Holthusen Hall in recognition of Mental Health Screening Day.,”With the occurrence of depression higher among college students than any other demographic in the country, the university has taken steps to help them handle this challenge.
The Counseling Center will be open today for depression screenings in Holthusen Hall in recognition of Mental Health Screening Day. Students may also be screened online through a link from the Counseling Center Web site, www.marquette.edu/counseling.
The Counseling Center organized the event with Screening for Mental Health, Inc., a nonprofit organization that works with colleges across the country to provide mental health screenings for students both online and in person.
The in-person screening will be much more intensive than the online screening, according to Chris Daood, assistant director of the Counseling Center. Students who are concerned they may be depressed or students who are concerned about a friend are all welcome to be screened.
Symptoms of depression include lack of sleep, low energy, appetite disturbance, sadness, apathy, low self-esteem and, in serious cases, a sense that things will never get better, according to Stephen Saunders, associate professor of psychology.
"It might strike people as odd that they need depression screening but many people that are depressed don't understand that that is what it is," Saunders said. "It's a disorder or problem that people literally don't realize they have."
According to Saunders, the occurrence of depression on college campuses is higher — about one in every eight students as opposed to the national rate of one in 10 people — because of the heightened stress levels, busy schedule and lack of familiarity with surroundings. Depression can be disabling for a college student, as it gets in the way of a student's ability to concentrate.
"Our goal in (the Counseling Center) is to attend to the mental health needs of college students to help their ability to do well academically," Daood said. "They intend to do well in their four years here, and we intend to help them do that, and (screening) is just one other way we can help them be successful."
When students are screened, they will watch a five-minute video explaining depression and fill out a short screening form. The student will meet with a counselor to discuss his or her results and the counselor will then make a recommendation to the student about a course of action. According to Saunders, it is important for people with depression to go to a mental health professional to seek treatment, as they will be able to recognize and treat their depression more effectively.
Students who attend the screening in hopes of helping a friend will go through all the steps of the screening process, but they will be educated on how to approach their friend.
"That's one of the biggest problems that students have when they see someone else struggling with (depression) A-— it's hard to know what to say," Daood said.
But it might be important when others do not know they are depressed.
"A lot of students may think that everyone is feeling the same way they are and they may not realize that the way they are feeling is not healthy," said Saniya Khan, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences.
In addition to the depression screening, the Counseling Center will hold screening days throughout the year for other mental illnesses such as alcohol abuse and eating disorders.
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