Are Ya’ Feeling Down?
If You’re Losing Interest in Hobbies or Sex, You could be Suffering from Depression
By Julia Danner
Capital Times Staff Writer
Depression: we’ve all heard of
it and we’ve all experienced it. But do
we really know exactly what depression
is? Of course it’s that sad, ho-hum kind
of feeling you get maybe on a gloomy
day or when you’re just feeling a bit
overwhelmed with life. But did you
know that mental illness is on the rise
among college students?
The causes of depression are
complex and in most cases it is genetic.
This means that someone with depres
sion cannot just pull it together and
move on. Severe depression requires
professional treatment whether it is
counseling, medication, or both.
WebMd is a useful source for finding
information on any type of illness, dis
ease or disorder. The first step in treat
ing depression symptoms is to recognize
them. According to the website, these
are the symptoms a person with depres
sion would experience:
-Persistent feelings of sadness, empti
ness, hopelessness, helplessness, worth
lessness, or pessimism
-Anxiety
-Loss of interest in activities or hobbies
that used to give you pleasure
-Loss of energy, fatigue, or feeling
“slowed down”
-Loss of interest in sex
-Loss of interest in socializing
with other people
-Difficulty concentrating, think
ing, remembering, or making
decisions
-Changes in sleep patterns, both
inability to sleep and oversleep
ing
-Changes in eating patterns,
both over- and under eating
-Thoughts of suicide or attempted sui
cide
-Restlessness or irritability
-Persistent but vague physical problems
that do not respond to treatment, such
as head or stomach pain
Another severe mood disorder is
bipolar disease, which causes extreme
mood swings between depression (the
low) and mania (the high). This is
where the term manic-depressive comes
from. This disorder is much more
extreme because the manic part brings
on excessive happiness or energy, infla-
tion of self-esteem and unrealistic feel
ings of importance. The many other
symptoms include racing thoughts,
excessive talkativeness, and involve
ment with irresponsible activities that
could lead to dangerous consequences.
The depression part is a very low feel
ing where the person cannot pull them
selves out of bed. These moods can
disappear for a while so that the person
is in a normal state of mind but then
can reappear without any specific trig
ger. Bipolar disorder is also a disorder
that is genetic and a person’s risk is
heightened if the disorder exists in fam
ily history.
No one should feel embarrassed
for experiencing depression. It is
important to seek treatment because
these disorders could greatly affect
your daily life, including school,
work, and relationships. In order for
treatment to be successful, it is impor
tant that you establish a long-term
relationship with your healthcare
provider so that your doctor can rec
ognize changes in moods and reac
tions to medications. If you feel that
you experience more than one of the
symptoms of depression or bipolar dis
order, you can seek help through your
primary care physician or here on cam
pus. The counseling services on campus
are in the Student Assistance Center in
W-117 of the Olmsted Building. The
phone number is 948-6025.