Why College Students Are Sinking into Depression

Transitioning from high school into college can be coupled with many challenges and opening into new freedoms and space. Unfortunately, the transition has been associated with mental issues like depression, with data showing that 44% of college students are reporting signs of depression. The following are some of the reasons for this.

Academic pressure

Academic pressure is one of the significant contributors to depression among college students, with the students transitioning from high school to college, which is quite demanding. With academic life, there is constant pressure to excel in their studies, and considering most students have to juggle with jobs to pay off their bills, it becomes hard to cope.

Loneliness and social isolation

Most of the time, attending college means the students move away from home to new places, thus breaking their social circle. Considering that new friendships might take some time to build, it becomes quite challenging for college students to find a social place in college, and thus, most of them end up with loneliness, which is a more significant trigger of depression.

Financial difficulties

The cost of education is becoming immensely high daily. Thus, considering that students usually can only afford low-income jobs, they end up having difficulties in juggling between paying off their expenses in school. The financial problems can lead to the hopelessness of the students who are barely adults, and without proper financial language, they end up having anxiety and depressive disorders.

Substance abuse

College life comes with lots of freedom since the students are away from home, and thus, most of them use that time to explore things they have not done before, including substance abuse.  Substance abuse is widespread among college students; therefore, most college students end up abusing drugs because of the pressure to try and fit into the different social classes in college.

Lack of sleep

Attending college can be tiring for students since they might have irregular and busy schedules trying to attend school, between jobs, and have some social life. The schedule can be hectic as they might have late-night classes and early mornings, making it hard to have regular time planned for their activities. This disruption can result in a lot of anxiety and eventually lead to depression.

Conclusion

The transition to college can be depressing for college students. Thus, having outlined some of the factors contributing to depression, we can easily chart a path that can support college students in having a healthy mental state. Encouraging open communication and fostering a supportive learning environment can be a great way of reducing depression cases among college students.