By Angela Guerrero, MSW, LICSW

When registering for college, many students are excited for the transformation that will take place during those four years. But they may not be prepared for how challenging adapting to a new environment can be, or how these challenges can lead to depression.

Depression is a problem on college campuses. Unfortunately, many students are reluctant to ask for help, in part because there is still stigma associated with getting therapy. Many clients have told me that they did not come to me for help sooner because they felt it would be a sign of weakness.

Changing Attitudes

One way that I help my clients is by shifting their negative beliefs about seeking help.

First, I stress that looking for help is proof of their strength and resourcefulness. Second, I help them recognize their own courage to share their real self with another human being, expanding their capacity of intimacy, and experience the healing magic of human communion in a safe, therapeutic environment. Third, I help them to see themselves as bravely changing previous beliefs and patterns to find more satisfaction in their lives.

New Stresses

First-year college students experience a lot of stress. At the same time, they are in a period of metamorphosis. Coming to college is likely their first time living away from home, away from parental rules. In the process of learning what their priorities, they make mistakes.

Students might eat too much because there are no limits in the dining hall. Or they might forget to eat because they are too busy.

Many students neglect sleep. Lack of sleep is the major precipitant for most depressions during college life. Students in their desire to explore their new community may attend as many parties as they can and neglect their sleep hygiene. Sharing a room with a roommate might also have a negative effect on some student’s sleep routines.

Many students, in their attempt to fit in socially, may experiment dangerously with alcohol, other substances, or sex.

Or students may hide behind their books, isolating themselves in their rooms and avoiding the rest of the community. Spending little time making new friends, and spending most of their spare time connecting with old friends from high school may be a sign of not being well adapted to college. The student may not recognize that he or she is becoming sadder and sadder, unaware of missing out in building new relationships and exploring new activities.

A New Chapter

One of the major challenges in college centers around managing and figuring out relationships with roommates, friends and lovers. They’re also becoming who they want to be as individuals. During this period students are negotiating their boundaries and figuring out their own needs.

Being in college is a great opportunity to take the road less traveled and not follow negative patterns traced by previous generations. Being in a new community may challenge previous value systems and maps of reality learned during childhood and adolescence.

Guillermo’s Story

A student who recently came into my office was a freshman student from Latin America.  He was experiencing stomach problems and back pains that did not have a biological explanation. He was missing his family, isolating himself and losing weight. He was doubting his decision to come to the United States.

Guillermo [not his real name] talked about his family in South America that had come together to pay for his studies. He was the one chosen to further his education and succeed. These high expectations were a great burden for him.

Guillermo came from a religious belief (Seventh Day Adventist) that demanded a vegetarian diet, regular church visits, both things he had been unable to follow due to his lack of transportation and knowledge of the local community.

During counseling I helped Guillermo recognize that his heritage was important for him to keep him balanced and that his loneliness was likely the reason for his physical symptoms.  We found appropriate housing where he could cook for himself and found a Seventh Day Adventist Church in the area that he could attend on a regular basis. His anxiety about not being a good Christian diminished, his weight increased and his body pains began to disappear as he continued to share about what was important in his life.

Counseling helped Guillermo to identify the real issues and to succeed as a student. Recently he introduced me to his family who came to visit him. Guillermo felt grounded and proud of introducing his new home to his relatives. And he acknowledged that he did it with some guidance from the counseling center.

How to Help a Friend

If someone you know has symptoms of depression, know that depression is treatable, with a high rate of success. If a friend is depressed, be a good listener until he or she is ready to receive professional help. Be attentive, curious and receptive to what your friend is experiencing.

Keep encouraging your friend to look for professional help. If she has already tried it, and it did not work, tell her to try someone else, to find the right therapist. Help your friend Increase her sense of hope and control over her situation; remind her that the past does not equal the future.

Find professional support for yourself as you provide support to your friend.

Hope, love and connection to others are very powerful and all of us have these powers. Together, we can create a difference in the life of one, a difference in the world.

Get Help Immediately

If your friend has a plan to hurt himself and the means to carry it out, get help immediately.

In the United States, anyone needing help can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7. Or use the Lifeline Chat. These services are free and confidential.

Alternately, you can call family members, teachers, the campus mental health clinic, trusted friends, their therapist, or the nearest hospital emergency service. Remember, it’s better to have an angry friend alive than to regret not getting help right away.