ealth and education."
When you go to college, you suddenly face a slew of decisions. From finding new friends to declaring a major, you're essentially redesigning your life, which comes with new feelings.
And according to licensed psychotherapist Barry Granek, you should let those feelings in. Granek, who specializes in life transitions in early adulthood, says to expect feeling:
"Allowing for emotions creates resolution," Granek said. "Avoiding emotions generates stress and eventually depression."
Wallace transferred from a super small high school to a university of thousands. But a bigger student body didn't help her feel less alone.
"I knew very few people at my university, and my closest friends were hours away," Wallace said. "And that's something I really struggled with, especially in the beginning. Even if you have friends on campus or the support of your family back home, you still feel alone."
But Wallace wasn't alone in feeling lonely. About two-thirds of college students surveyed in the aforementioned Healthy Minds Study said they felt left out, felt isolated from others, or lacked companionship at least some of the time.
It's no secret that college students experience academic and social pressure. Sometimes pressure can push us to perform our best. Other times, it leaves us feeling empty.
Brandon Bond, a public health and social work master's student, works as a wellness coach for his university's health services center.
Bond described his peers' mindset: "I'm trying to take all these classes, so I seem impressive for grad school. I'm trying to get all these internships, so I seem impressive to employers … but it was never centered around what they wanted necessarily, or what they needed as an individual."
On top of the factors above, college students face stressors related to the world we live in, including the following:
- Climate Crisis: More than half of 16-to-25-year-olds in an international climate anxiety survey reported feeling sad, anxious, angry, and helpless over climate change.
- Police Violence: A recent study has correlated police killings of unarmed Black people to increased depression-related emergency room visits for Black Americans.
- COVID-19: A BestColleges survey found that 95% of college students experienced a negative mental health outcome from the pandemic.
How to Deal With Depression in College
Whatever forces are causing you or someone you know to feel depressed, know that help is out there. Here are a few reminders students can use when dealing with depression in college.
Don't Suffer in Silence
"You are not as alone as you think you are," said Wallace. "Many of your fellow students are struggling to pull themselves through as well."
The Healthy Minds Survey shows that many college students perceive a public stigma around mental health. However, very few actually judge other people who speak out about their mental health.
Let Yourself Feel
Avoiding fear, confusion, or loneliness — or trying to numb them with alcohol or drugs — doesn't often make us feel better in the long term. Instead, tune into what you're feeling, even if it's uncomfortable.
"Emotions exist to signal to us what we want and what gives us pleasure," Granek said. "[They] mobilize us to pursue our goals and alert us to pursue things essential to our survival."
Feeling fear might motivate us to spend more time thinking about a big decision. Loneliness may be a signal to reach out to an old friend or ask for help.
Track Your Symptoms
"It's not as easy to remember every piece or … put it into words," master's student and mental health advocate Francesca Reicherter said. "So, for me, writing down what I'm experiencing at different times of the day [has] been really important."
Reicherter was misdiagnosed and mistreated for depression for years before receiving a bipolar 2 disorder diagnosis and appropriate treatment. For students wondering if they're being misdiagnosed, she suggests writing about, reflecting on, and reviewing your symptoms with a doctor or therapist and rule out possible conditions.
Seek Counseling From 