Don't worry, be happy this month
by Sarah Orr
health page editor
October is the month that many of
us think as exciting, fun, and beauti
ful. Fall has arrived, and the leaves
are a brilliant array of crimsons, or
anges, yellows, and browns. Hal
loween, costume parties, candy, and
fall break are all things Behrend stu
dents look forward to with great an
ticipation.
However, the personal counseling
office is dedicating the month of Oc
tober to depression awareness and
screenings. This condition is very
serious and more common than
many realize. Occasionally every
one, especially college students can
suffer from a bout of the blues. For
some, sadness can be more exten
sive, which could lead to depression.
Depression is a common mood
disorder that affects the mind and
body simultaneously. Approxi
mately 17 to 20 million Americans
develop a particular form of depres
sion each year. It can be caused by a
myriad of factors such as an imbal
ance of neurotransmitters in the
brain. medical illnesses, negative ex
periences associated with loss or
stress, genetics, or personality traits.
The symptoms can range from con
tinual feelings of emptiness, changes
in appetite and weight, oversleeping
or inability to sleep, to sluggishness,
restlessness, problems concentrat
ing, feelings of guilt, fatigue, and
thoughts of death or suicide.
It doesn't take a cataclysmic event
to spark the onset of depression.
College students are particularly sus
ceptible to depression caused by
stress. Adjustment issues also plague
some when faced with a new situa
tion, which can cause a form of de-
pression
There are different types of depres
sion. One form is called dysthmia,
Pay attention to your body language
by Ryan Anthony
staff writer
You have two exams on Monday,
a paper due Tuesday, work on
Wednesday, work and a group project
on Thursday. and another exam on
Friday. It is now Sunday night. Did
I mention you have a group meeting
to be at in five minutes?
On top of all of that your girlfriend
is not quite so sure she likes you any
more, your car needs new brakes and
tires for the winter, your parents want
to visit next weekend, someone from
work wants you to cover a shift, your
girlfriend decides she likes you again,
your intramural team wins its cham
pionship, your roommates are having
a party this weekend, and your cousin
gets married.
Welcome to the week of a college
student. The stress can be over
whelming, but you can learn how to
deal with it.
Busy schedules are part of what our
tuition gets us. A million different
things can happen to someone dur
ing a week and a million different
people will handle these things in a
million different ways. The best way
to cope with life's obstacles is to iden
tify how you react to them.
Stress is an integral part of life. It
is the motivating reason for getting
us out of bed every morning. Anxi
ety, on the other hand, is the uneasi
ness and apprehension we feel be
cause of stress. Any number of cir
cumstances can lead to anger or plea
sure. Every so often we feel relief
when we hear an exam or assignment
is pushed back a day. Friends or
other familiar events can bring about
excitement.
Stress, anxiety, anger, pleasure, and
excitement are a tiny fraction of the
emotions we go through in a day.
Almost anyone can describe how they
"feel" when they feel these emotions,
but few are in tune with what goes
on inside their bodies at these times.
Just as we "feel" certain ways dur
ing certain emotions, our bodies also
feel a certain way too. Recognition
of the way your body reacts is a good
way of becoming a more relaxed and
focused individual.
Most people do not realize it, but it
is possible for you to control how you
physically and mentally feel.
"The way we think determines how
we feel," according to Behrend per
sonal counselor, Allison Parr-Plasha.
If a person has a constant negative
attitude about himself or herself, they
PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY
The Personal Counseling Office is offering depression screenings this month to raise awareness of the disease.
which is characterized, by a milder,
chronic depressive state lasting two
or more years. Another type is bi
polar depression, which is the de
pressed phase of bipolar disorder.
In this particular form, there are
both extreme high and low mood
swings. The last type is seasonal
affective disorder. This depression
follows seasonal rhythms; symp
toms will occur in the winter and
decrease in the spring and summer
months.
Depression is an illness that can
are obviously going to eventually
convince themselves that this atti
tude is true. Conversely, if one
holds him or herself in high regard,
then this person will tend to feel and
behave in a way that projects this
opinion. Our bodies contain many
clues to how we feel and even more
clues to how to feel better. Accord
ing to Parr-Plasha, the key for most
people is awareness.
One of the biggest challenges
Parr-Plasha faces, she says, is get
ting students to slow down enough
to realize where their problems are
focused inside their bodies. Stu
dents need to take a few extra min
utes each day to focus on their feel
ings, whether they are positive or
negative. Students need to pay more
attention to what their bodies are
telling them. Our bodies feel the
way they do for reasons. If some
thing is not right, we need to be able
to identify what it is in order to make
it better.
Emotions locate themselves in the
body in a number of ways. Accord
ing to Parr-Plasha, everybody's
body holds emotions in different
places. She suggests this exercise
as a way of locating where in your
body certain feelings hide them
selves.
First, close your eyes and relax.
Think of a specific topic that is trou
bling you or that is on your mind.
Then concentrate on only that topic
for the next 15 seconds. After this
time of concentration, begin to re
alize how your body feels, starting
with your head. Where can you feel
that thought? Is it in your temples
or head or neck? Many people feel
upset stomachs or back pain. Nau
sea and sweating can even be
brought about by just focusing on a
single thought. Once you become
aware of where your body harbors
a specific emotion, you can then be
gin to treat it.
Parr-Plasha mentioned several
common emotions and symptoms
that go along with them. If your
neck and back are constantly tense
and sore, you might be facing more
stress than usual or you could be
feeling angry. Illness, ulcers, and
lack of concentration have also been
known to accompany stress.
After becoming aware of where
your body stores these emotions,
you can begin therapy. The best
remedy for most emotion-related
ailments is relaxation. Parr-Plasha
be treated, but it can he costly. Annu
ally, Americans spends about $5O bil
lion to treat different forms of depres
sion. Treatments available include an
tidepressant medications, psycho
therapy, electroconvulsive therapy,
and self-help groups. A person may
try various treatment options before
finding the most successful method.
Psychotherapy is sometimes re
ferred to as talk therapy and employs
techniques to create new ways of
thinking, improving interpersonal re
lations, or resolving conflicts that
suggests practicing breathing exercises a physical activity such as working
because most Americans do not real- out oryoga. These activities delintely
ize they do not breath properly. Chang- will help you get more in tune with
ing breathing techniques can allow your body.
more oxygen to the brain and rest of
r
II
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100 Mile Mania
li If you are inspired
II by these students
II
II and wish to begin
II exercising, here are a
!I few tips to keep in
I I mind before you
li
li start.
I
Q: Why did you start?
A: I started to get into better shape.
Q: Do you think that you will
complete 100 miles?
A: Yes, I think that I will reach my
goal.
Q: What do you hope to gain from
the program?
A: I need motivation to workout.
aM NMI -
could stem from problems during
childhood. Electrocovulsive therapy
is usually used for those with severe
cases of depression as well as those
who are unable to handle medication.
It is an effective and safe procedure,
contrary to popular opinion. Self
help groups arc effective by provid
ing support for people with depres
sion as well as friends and family.
Depression screening took place
outside of Bruno's Cafe on Wednes
day from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The
personal counseling office sponsored
II any student wants to seek help
Q: Why did you start?
A: It's a way to stay healthy and to
stay motivated to exercise.
Q: Do you think that you will
complete 100 miles?
A: I think that there is a slim chance.
Q: What do you hope to gain from
the program?
A: I hope to become healthier, gain
more muscle mass, and lose some
weight.
Ryan Brewer
Q: Why did you start?
A: I started for the challenge.
Q: Do you think that you will
completeloo miles?
A: Yes, I hope so.
Q: What do you hope to gain from
the program?
A: I want to be buff.
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k:)}'
Allison Jawdy
Miles:
Sundeep Bhatia
the screenings. If any Behrend stu
dent feels they are having a pro
longed period of sadness or having
trouble dealing with an issue, they
can contact Sue Daley or Allison
Parr-Plasha for appointment to dis
cuss a course of action to remedy the
situation. If you notice a friend ex
periencing difficulties, you many
want to refer them to the personal
counseling office.
personal counseling office at (x)6164
to schedule and appointment or email
Parr-Plasha at alp9@psu.edu or Sue
Daley at sxd2 1 epsii rdti.
Update
• Start with a 15-minute low
intensity warm up.
• Be sure to stretch
• Drink plenty of water
during your exercise routine
• Don't strain yourself.
• Be sure to incorporate a
cool down
Miles:
Miles: