Child's overdose death raises questions By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press Writer
Fri Mar 23, 2:58 PM ET
HULL, Mass. - In the final months of Rebecca Riley's life, a school nurse said the little girl was so weak she was like a "floppy doll."
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The preschool principal had to help Rebecca off the bus because the 4-year-old was shaking so badly.
And a pharmacist complained that Rebecca's mother kept coming up with excuses for why her daughter needed more and more medication.
None of their concerns was enough to save Rebecca.
Rebecca — who had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity and bipolar disorder, or what used to be called manic depression — died Dec. 13 of an overdose of prescribed drugs, and her parents have been arrested on murder charges, accused of intentionally overmedicating their daughter to keep her quiet and out of their hair.
Interviews and a review of court documents by The Associated Press make it clear that many of those who were supposed to protect Rebecca — teachers, social workers, other professionals — suspected something was wrong, but never went quite far enough.
But the tragic case is more than a story about one child. It raises troubling, larger questions about the state of child psychiatry, namely: Can children as young as Rebecca be accurately diagnosed with mental illnesses? Are rambunctious youngsters being medicated for their parents' convenience? And should children so young be prescribed powerful psychotropic drugs meant for adults?
Dispensing drugs to children diagnosed with mood or behavior problems is "the easiest thing to do, but it's not always the best thing to do," said Dr. Jon McClellan, medical director of the Child Study and Treatment Center in Lakewood, Wash. "At some level, I would hope that you'd also be teaching kids ways to control their behavior."
According to the medical examiner, Rebecca died of a combination of Clonidine, a blood pressure medication Rebecca had been prescribed for ADHD; Depakote, an antiseizure and mood-stabilizing drug prescribed for the little girl's bipolar disorder; a cough suppressant; and an antihistamine. The amount of Clonidine alone in Rebecca's system was enough to be fatal, the medical examiner said.
The two brand-name prescription drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in adults only, though doctors can legally prescribe them to youngsters and do so frequently.
Rebecca's parents, Michael and Carolyn Riley, say they were only following doctor's orders. Rebecca, they told police, had been diagnosed when she was just 2 1/2, and Rebecca's psychiatrist prescribed the same potent drugs that had been prescribed for her older brother and sister when she diagnosed them with the same illnesses several years earlier.
But Rebecca's teachers, the school nurse and her therapist all told police they never saw behavior in Rebecca that fit her diagnoses, such as aggression, sharp mood swings or hyperactivity.
Prosecutors say the Rileys intentionally tried to quiet their daughter with high doses of Clonidine. Relatives told police the Rileys called Clonidine the "happy medicine" and the "sleep medicine."
Through their attorneys, Michael Riley, 34, and Carolyn Riley, 32, have accused Rebecca's psychiatrist, Dr. Kayoko Kifuji, of over-prescribing medication.
Kifuji did not return calls for comment and declined to be interviewed. But Kifuji has vehemently denied any role in Rebecca's death. She has agreed to a suspension of her license while the state's medical board investigates.
Kifuji told police Rebecca had been her patient since August 2004, when she was 2. She said she based her diagnoses of ADHD and bipolar disorder on the family's mental health history, as described by Carolyn Riley, and Rebecca's behavior, as described by Carolyn and briefly observed by her during office visits.
Kifuji told police she became alarmed in October 2005 when Carolyn Riley told her she had increased Rebecca's nighttime dose of Clonidine from 2 to 2 1/2 tablets, and warned Carolyn the increased dose could kill Rebecca.
But Carolyn told investigators Kifuji told her she could give Rebecca and her sister extra Clonidine at night to help them sleep.
Tufts-New England Medical Center, where Kifuji worked, issued a statement supporting Kifuji, saying her care of Rebecca "was appropriate and within responsible professional standards."
In the months leading up to Rebecca's death, others noticed there was something wrong.
Teachers and staff members at the Johnson Early Childhood Center in Weymouth, about 20 miles south of Boston, say they called Rebecca's mother repeatedly to tell her that Rebecca was "out of it," but her mother said the girl was tired because she wasn't sleeping well.
A neighbor who lived next door to the family in the last month of Rebecca's life said Rebecca and her siblings seemed listless.
"They looked like little robots. They looked very lethargic," Phyllis Lipton said. "I said, `Wow, they don't look right,' but who knew?"
Pharmacists at Walgreens in Weymouth called Kifuji twice to complain that Carolyn Riley was asking for more Clonidine, even though her prescription was not due to be refilled yet, according to state police.
Once, Riley said she had lost a bottle of pills, and another time, she said water had gotten into her prescription bottle and ruined the pills, according to police.
Kifuji authorized refills, but after the second incident, she began prescribing Clonidine in 10-day refills instead of 30-day supplies, investigators said.
On Aug. 16, a prescription for 35 Clonidine tablets — a 10-day supply — was filled at Walgreens, even though the Rileys had obtained a 10-day refill only the day before, investigators said.
Walgreens spokeswoman Tiffani Bruce said: "The scrip was filled as written, as it was prescribed by the doctor, and all the appropriate information on the medications was given to the family."
After Rebecca's death, police found only seven Clonidine tablets in the family's medicine tray; the pharmacist said there should have been 75. All together, prosecutors say, Carolyn Riley got 200 more pills in one year than she should have.
The Rileys' lawyers call them unsophisticated people who did not question their children's doctors.
Both were unemployed; they collected welfare and disabilty benefits and lived in subsidized housing. Michael Riley, who is also awaiting trial on charges of molesting a stepdaughter in 2005, claimed to suffer from bipolar disorder and a rage disorder; his wife told police she suffered from depression and anxiety.
"They are not the sort of people who go on the Internet and look on WebMD. These are the sort of people who, when they go to a doctor, the doctor is God and they do what the doctor says," said John Darrell, Michael's lawyer.
Carolyn's lawyer, Michael Bourbeau, said that because the Rileys' three children were all taking Clonidine, Rebecca's prescription may have come up short at times when her siblings were given some of her pills. And some of the pills may have been lost when they were split in half, he said.
In July, after a therapist filed a complaint with the state Department of Social Services, social workers met with the family's doctors and other medical professionals and were assured that the medications Rebecca was taking were within medical guidelines.
"There were lots of medical eyes on this case and none of them seemed to say there was an issue of over-medication in this case," said Social Services Commissioner Harry Spence, who has come under fire for the agency's handling of the case.
Still, there were lingering concerns. When social workers tried to make a home visit in November, Carolyn "resisted and evaded," Spence said. Weeks later, workers resolved to make a surprise check, but Rebecca died the very next day, before they could visit.
Rebecca was found dead on the floor of her parents' bedroom wearing only a pink pull-up diaper and gold-stud earrings, on top of a pile of clothes, magazines and a stuffed brown bear.
Rebecca's uncle, James McGonnell, and his girlfriend, Kelly Williams, who lived with the Rileys, told police that the Rileys would put their kids to bed as early as 5 p.m. Rebecca, they said, often slept through the day and got up only to eat.
When Michael Riley decided the kids were "acting up," he told Carolyn to give them pills, McGonnell and Williams told police.
According to McGonnell and Williams, Rebecca spent the last days of her life wandering around the house, sick and disoriented. But the Rileys told police they were not alarmed. "It was just a cold," Carolyn repeatedly said during police interviews.
The medical examiner said Rebecca died a slow and painful death. She said the overdose of Clonidine caused her organs to shut down, filling her lungs with fluid and causing congestive heart failure.
Williams told police that the night before she died, Rebecca was pale and seemed "out of it." At one point, the little girl knocked weakly on her parents' bedroom door and softly called for her mommy, but Michael Riley opened the door a crack and yelled at her to go back to her room, Williams said.
Later that night, McGonnell told police, he heard someone struggling to breathe and found Rebecca gurgling as if something was stuck in her throat. McGonnell told police he wiped vomit from his niece's face, then kicked in the door to her parents' room and yelled at the Rileys to take Rebecca to the emergency room.
Instead, Carolyn Riley said, she gave her daughter a half-tablet of Clonidine.
Carolyn's mother, Valerie Berio, said that when she visited the kids the night of Dec. 11, Rebecca seemed congested but not seriously ill. In a photograph Berio said she took that night, Rebecca is smiling slightly as her mother holds a new green velvet dress in front of her.
Berio said that shows that her daughter and son-in-law could not have known how sick Rebecca was.
Rebecca's death has inflamed a long-running debate in psychiatry. Some psychiatrists believe bipolar disorder, which was traditionally diagnosed in adolescence or early adulthood, has become a trendy diagnosis in young children.
"As a clinician, I can tell you it's just very difficult to say whether someone is just throwing tantrums or has bipolar disorder," said Dr. Oscar B. Bukstein, a child psychiatrist and associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
A study of mentally ill children discharged from community hospitals, published in January in the Archives of General Psychiatry, found the proportion of children diagnosed with bipolar disorders jumped from 2.9 percent in 1990 to 15.1 percent in 2000.
A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2002 estimated that about 7 percent of elementary school-age children — or approximately 1.6 million youngsters ages 6 to 11 — have been diagnosed with ADHD.
The annual number of U.S. children prescribed anti-psychotic drugs jumped fivefold between 1995 and 2002, to an estimated 2.5 million, according to a study published last year by researchers at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville, Tenn.
Some child psychiatrists say bipolar disorder may have been under-diagnosed in children for years, partly because several key symptoms are also symptoms of ADHD, including hyperactivity, distractibility and talkativeness.
Dr. Janet Wozniak, director of the Pediatric Bipolar Disorder Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, said early diagnosis and treatment are critical because the illness can cause social and academic problems, and lead to drug abuse, crime and suicide.
"What's commonly overlooked when considering diagnosing and treating children at such an early age is the risk of not treating and not intervening," Wozniak said.
(Corrects by deleting reference to photo being taken 18 hours earlier.)
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Showing posts with label Depression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Depression. Show all posts
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Handle College Without Depression
Student Resources
Help with the Demands of College Life
Get help for the top mental health issues facing university and college students:
1. Hope for the rising incidence of stress and depression
2. Tips for parents
3. Mental health problems increasing among college students
1. Hope for the rising incidence of stress and depression
Help for college students: Know the signs and how to get help for the top mental health issues facing university and college students
By Liza N. Eversole, MTN Wellness & Mental Health Consultant, August 15, 2006
According to a study three years ago by Kansas State University, the number of students seeing school counselors for depression doubled over a 13-year period and the number of students with suicidal thoughts tripled over that same span.
This is alarming, but there is hope. Help is here for the increasing numbers of students with anxiety, stress, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Campuses around the country are aware of the problem and many are creating ways to help manage these issues and even prevent students from developing mental health problems.
Read the following information to help manage these issues and learn how to get help when students can't manage the pressures of college life alone.
Some stress and anxiety is normal. Stress often increases as the number of responsibilities, choices, and decisions increase. Pressure to achieve good grades and fit into college life with ease contribute to the normal first year and back-to-school anxiety. Students who where successful in high school often find the competition too much. They are under even more pressure from high expectations to be the best and get higher paying jobs.
But, if stress continues to increase over time, the mental and physical results can be serious. Stress that persists day after day is a mental health problem. Experts agree that the physiological changes that result from stress contribute to nearly every major illness.
Be aware of the signs. The most commonly reported negative outcomes of stress include:
- Constant fatigue and/or insomnia: Are you just as tired when you wake up, as you were when you went to bed?
- Depression or anxiety: Are you feeling overwhelmed and anxious? Do you have angry outbursts?
- Physical Illness: Do you have a susceptibility to illness? Do you frequently have illnesses, high blood pressure, GI problems, headaches or back pain?
- Are you forgetful or disorganized?
- Are you noticing yourself using alcohol, drugs, or food more (or not eating)?
Please see your physician if you experience persistent physical symptoms!
The good news is that stress can be managed if students take the opportunity to assess the effects of stress on their overall wellbeing and to take the steps needed to improve their health and quality of life.
Keep yourself healthy: Take care of yourself physically and mentally. Your energy levels will be much higher if you are getting enough sleep, eating well, drinking enough water, and taking the time to do things you enjoy.
- Exercise regularly, but not excessively
- Get enough sleep (7-8 hours is average)
- Eat a balanced diet
- Slow down
- Stretch and breathe
- Learn relaxation techniques
- Remove yourself from stressors
- Get help from a counselor or therapist when the mental and emotional stress becomes too much to handle.
Signs and Symptoms of Depression
If you are experiencing any of the following, please seek help from an experienced counselor or therapist either at your Student Counseling Center, through your physician, or log onto MyTherapyNet.com.
Symptoms that Students and Parents Should Not Ignore:
- Abusing drugs, alcohol, prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications.
- Turning to food for comfort or not eating and/or excessively exercising (eating disorders)
- Problems with family or friends
- Feeling overwhelmed or anxious about school or personal issues
- Depression, which can have any of these symptoms/signs:
Feeling sad or empty, decreased energy, loss of interest in former activities, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, excessive crying, difficulty in concentrating or making decisions, weight gain or loss, over or under sleeping and thoughts of suicide.
According to The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) if five or more of these symptoms persist for more than two weeks, it is recommended that the person seek professional help. Go to the NIMH website for more information: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
2. Tips for parents
Parents should know what is available on campuses to help their children. Many universities and colleges have counseling and intervention programs, some free and some covered by student health plans.
Symptoms that Students and Parents Should Not Ignore:
- Abusing drugs, alcohol, prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications
- Turning to food for comfort or not eating and/or excessively exercising (eating disorders)
- Unusual weight gain or loss
- Problems with family or friends
- Feeling overwhelmed or anxious about school or personal issues
- Difficulty in concentrating or making decisions
- Over or under sleeping
- Feeling sad or empty
- Excessive crying
- Decreased energy
- Loss of interest in former activities
- Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness and thoughts of suicide.
According to a new study by the American Psychiatric Association, nearly one-third of adults who have a mental illness say they don't seek treatment because they fear what thers might think.
Students who are not comfortable talking find it easier to express themselves in writing. They often feel less inhibited and safer at the computer's keyboard, accept suggestions and move to solutions quicker than if they feel confronted by their therapist in person.
According to the article, Erasing stigma key to mental treatment, by former First Lady, Rosalyn Carter, "While mental illnesses can be as debilitating and life-threatening as many physical illnesses, research shows that fewer than half of the 54 million Americans who have a mental illness seek treatment. It is time to stop throwing up barriers to mental health care needed by so many Americans. No one suffering from a mental disorder should feel alone or ashamed."
By Liza N. Eversole, MTN Wellness & Mental Health Consultant, August 15, 2006
3. Mental health problems increasing among college students
Dr. Richard Kadison, chief of the mental health services at Harvard University Health Services believes colleges and universities should do anything they can to help the increasing numbers of students who arrive with pre-existing mental health problems or develop them while on campus.
ARTICLE SUMMARY: Mental Health Problems Increasing Among College Students
July 5, 2006, By KATHLEEN MEGAN, Courant Staff Writer
Every year at around this time, Dr. Kadisonef gets phone calls from concerned parents. Their children have been receiving treatment and medication for a mental disorder of some type, and they want to make sure that services are in place for their child in the fall at school.
"I am delighted to get the calls," said Kadison, author of "College of the Overwhelmed: The Campus Mental Health Crisis and What To Do About It." He believes colleges and universities should do anything they can to help the increasing numbers of students who arrive with pre-existing mental health problems or develop them while on campus.
Late adolescence and early adulthood have always been a time when mental illness is likely to flare up. "This is an age when there are developmental and hormonal changes going on with people," said Kadison. "It's a very common age of onset."
In the past, students with depression, severe anxiety or other mental illnesses often didn't make it to college or dropped out if those problems became too severe. Today, with better medications and treatment available, those students are staying on campus.
In a recent survey, about 90 percent of college counseling-center directors believe there has been an increase in the number of clients with severe psychological problems.
A study at Kansas State University looking at student mental health complaints on their campus from 1988 to 2001 found that the number of students who had serious depression had doubled, while the number contemplating suicide had tripled. Kadison said one in 10 students will seriously consider suicide, while 45 percent of students report having reached a point where they were so depressed they couldn't function.
FROM:http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hcyoungadults.artjul05,0,587993.story?page=3&coll=hc-headlines-life
Students and parents can receive confidential help NOW! Experienced therapists at MyTherapyNet.com are available 24/7! Therapists are only a mouse click away.
Managing stress is the foundation for a wellness: A well-balanced and healthy life. So, in addition to receiving quality therapy at MyTherapyNet, please visit
www.MindBodySeries.com for information, tools and products to help you manage stress.
ATTENTION UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES: Don't let your students suffer in silence! Take care of your students and help them adjust to being away from home. E-mail leversole@mytherapynet.com to help your university or college set up an Online Therapy support program to ensure a healthy school environment.
http://www.mytherapynet.com/Public/ShowText.asp?EUID=&articleid=225&articletype=38
Help with the Demands of College Life
Get help for the top mental health issues facing university and college students:
1. Hope for the rising incidence of stress and depression
2. Tips for parents
3. Mental health problems increasing among college students
1. Hope for the rising incidence of stress and depression
Help for college students: Know the signs and how to get help for the top mental health issues facing university and college students
By Liza N. Eversole, MTN Wellness & Mental Health Consultant, August 15, 2006
According to a study three years ago by Kansas State University, the number of students seeing school counselors for depression doubled over a 13-year period and the number of students with suicidal thoughts tripled over that same span.
This is alarming, but there is hope. Help is here for the increasing numbers of students with anxiety, stress, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Campuses around the country are aware of the problem and many are creating ways to help manage these issues and even prevent students from developing mental health problems.
Read the following information to help manage these issues and learn how to get help when students can't manage the pressures of college life alone.
Some stress and anxiety is normal. Stress often increases as the number of responsibilities, choices, and decisions increase. Pressure to achieve good grades and fit into college life with ease contribute to the normal first year and back-to-school anxiety. Students who where successful in high school often find the competition too much. They are under even more pressure from high expectations to be the best and get higher paying jobs.
But, if stress continues to increase over time, the mental and physical results can be serious. Stress that persists day after day is a mental health problem. Experts agree that the physiological changes that result from stress contribute to nearly every major illness.
Be aware of the signs. The most commonly reported negative outcomes of stress include:
- Constant fatigue and/or insomnia: Are you just as tired when you wake up, as you were when you went to bed?
- Depression or anxiety: Are you feeling overwhelmed and anxious? Do you have angry outbursts?
- Physical Illness: Do you have a susceptibility to illness? Do you frequently have illnesses, high blood pressure, GI problems, headaches or back pain?
- Are you forgetful or disorganized?
- Are you noticing yourself using alcohol, drugs, or food more (or not eating)?
Please see your physician if you experience persistent physical symptoms!
The good news is that stress can be managed if students take the opportunity to assess the effects of stress on their overall wellbeing and to take the steps needed to improve their health and quality of life.
Keep yourself healthy: Take care of yourself physically and mentally. Your energy levels will be much higher if you are getting enough sleep, eating well, drinking enough water, and taking the time to do things you enjoy.
- Exercise regularly, but not excessively
- Get enough sleep (7-8 hours is average)
- Eat a balanced diet
- Slow down
- Stretch and breathe
- Learn relaxation techniques
- Remove yourself from stressors
- Get help from a counselor or therapist when the mental and emotional stress becomes too much to handle.
Signs and Symptoms of Depression
If you are experiencing any of the following, please seek help from an experienced counselor or therapist either at your Student Counseling Center, through your physician, or log onto MyTherapyNet.com.
Symptoms that Students and Parents Should Not Ignore:
- Abusing drugs, alcohol, prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications.
- Turning to food for comfort or not eating and/or excessively exercising (eating disorders)
- Problems with family or friends
- Feeling overwhelmed or anxious about school or personal issues
- Depression, which can have any of these symptoms/signs:
Feeling sad or empty, decreased energy, loss of interest in former activities, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, excessive crying, difficulty in concentrating or making decisions, weight gain or loss, over or under sleeping and thoughts of suicide.
According to The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) if five or more of these symptoms persist for more than two weeks, it is recommended that the person seek professional help. Go to the NIMH website for more information: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
2. Tips for parents
Parents should know what is available on campuses to help their children. Many universities and colleges have counseling and intervention programs, some free and some covered by student health plans.
Symptoms that Students and Parents Should Not Ignore:
- Abusing drugs, alcohol, prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications
- Turning to food for comfort or not eating and/or excessively exercising (eating disorders)
- Unusual weight gain or loss
- Problems with family or friends
- Feeling overwhelmed or anxious about school or personal issues
- Difficulty in concentrating or making decisions
- Over or under sleeping
- Feeling sad or empty
- Excessive crying
- Decreased energy
- Loss of interest in former activities
- Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness and thoughts of suicide.
According to a new study by the American Psychiatric Association, nearly one-third of adults who have a mental illness say they don't seek treatment because they fear what thers might think.
Students who are not comfortable talking find it easier to express themselves in writing. They often feel less inhibited and safer at the computer's keyboard, accept suggestions and move to solutions quicker than if they feel confronted by their therapist in person.
According to the article, Erasing stigma key to mental treatment, by former First Lady, Rosalyn Carter, "While mental illnesses can be as debilitating and life-threatening as many physical illnesses, research shows that fewer than half of the 54 million Americans who have a mental illness seek treatment. It is time to stop throwing up barriers to mental health care needed by so many Americans. No one suffering from a mental disorder should feel alone or ashamed."
By Liza N. Eversole, MTN Wellness & Mental Health Consultant, August 15, 2006
3. Mental health problems increasing among college students
Dr. Richard Kadison, chief of the mental health services at Harvard University Health Services believes colleges and universities should do anything they can to help the increasing numbers of students who arrive with pre-existing mental health problems or develop them while on campus.
ARTICLE SUMMARY: Mental Health Problems Increasing Among College Students
July 5, 2006, By KATHLEEN MEGAN, Courant Staff Writer
Every year at around this time, Dr. Kadisonef gets phone calls from concerned parents. Their children have been receiving treatment and medication for a mental disorder of some type, and they want to make sure that services are in place for their child in the fall at school.
"I am delighted to get the calls," said Kadison, author of "College of the Overwhelmed: The Campus Mental Health Crisis and What To Do About It." He believes colleges and universities should do anything they can to help the increasing numbers of students who arrive with pre-existing mental health problems or develop them while on campus.
Late adolescence and early adulthood have always been a time when mental illness is likely to flare up. "This is an age when there are developmental and hormonal changes going on with people," said Kadison. "It's a very common age of onset."
In the past, students with depression, severe anxiety or other mental illnesses often didn't make it to college or dropped out if those problems became too severe. Today, with better medications and treatment available, those students are staying on campus.
In a recent survey, about 90 percent of college counseling-center directors believe there has been an increase in the number of clients with severe psychological problems.
A study at Kansas State University looking at student mental health complaints on their campus from 1988 to 2001 found that the number of students who had serious depression had doubled, while the number contemplating suicide had tripled. Kadison said one in 10 students will seriously consider suicide, while 45 percent of students report having reached a point where they were so depressed they couldn't function.
FROM:http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hcyoungadults.artjul05,0,587993.story?page=3&coll=hc-headlines-life
Students and parents can receive confidential help NOW! Experienced therapists at MyTherapyNet.com are available 24/7! Therapists are only a mouse click away.
Managing stress is the foundation for a wellness: A well-balanced and healthy life. So, in addition to receiving quality therapy at MyTherapyNet, please visit
www.MindBodySeries.com for information, tools and products to help you manage stress.
ATTENTION UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES: Don't let your students suffer in silence! Take care of your students and help them adjust to being away from home. E-mail leversole@mytherapynet.com to help your university or college set up an Online Therapy support program to ensure a healthy school environment.
http://www.mytherapynet.com/Public/ShowText.asp?EUID=&articleid=225&articletype=38
Depression in College
Depression and College Students
What do these students have in common?
When I took a part-time job and started
living off-campus, my course work fell
apart. I couldn't concentrate or sleep,
and I was always IRRITABLE and angry.
- Leah, sophomore year
After two years of straight A's, I
couldn't finish assignments anymore. I
felt exhausted but couldn't sleep, and
drank A LOT. I couldn't enjoy life like
my friends did anymore. - John, junior
year
I've always been anxious and never
had much confidence. College was
harder than I expected, and then
my parents divorced, which was
traumatic for me. After a while, all I
did was cry, sleep, and feel waves
of panic. - Marta, freshman year
They are college students who got depressed...got
treatment...and got better.
College offers new experiences and challenges. This can be exciting; it can also be stressful and make you, or someone
you know, feel sad. When "the blues" last for weeks, or interfere with academic or social functioning, it may be clinical
depression. Clinical depression is a common, frequently unrecognized illness that can be effectively treated.
What is Clinical Depression?
Clinical depression can affect your body, mood, thoughts, and behavior. It can change your eating habits, how you feel
and think, your ability to work and study, and how you interact with people. Clinical depression is not a passing mood,
a sign of personal weakness, or a condition that can be willed away. Clinically depressed people cannot "pull themselves
together" and get better. Depression can be successfully treated. With the right treatment, 80 percent of those who seek
help get better. And many people begin to feel better in just a few weeks.
Types of Depressive Illness
Depressive illnesses come in different forms. The following are descriptions of the three most prevalent, though for an
individual, the number, severity, and duration of symptoms will vary.
Major depression is manifested by a combination of symptoms that interfere with your ability to work, sleep, eat, and
enjoy once pleasurable activities. These episodes can occur once, twice, or several times in a lifetime. Symptoms include:
Sadness, anxiety, or "empty" feelings
Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities
Appetite and weight changes (either loss or gain)
Sleep disturbances (insomnia, oversleeping, waking
much earlier than usual)
Feelings of hopelessness, guilt, and worthlessness
Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, remembering
Irritability or excessive crying
Chronic aches/pain not explained by other physical condition
A less intense type of depression, dysthymia, involves long-term, chronic symptoms that are less severe, but keep you
from functioning at your full ability and from feeling well. In bipolar illness (also known as manic-depressive illness),
cycles of depression alternate with cycles of elation and increased activity, known as mania.
How to Recognize Depression
The first step in defeating depression is recognizing it. It's normal to have some signs of depression some of the time. But
five or more symptoms for two weeks or longer, or noticeable changes in usual functioning, are all factors that should
be evaluated by a health or mental health professional. And remember, people who are depressed may not be thinking
clearly and may need help to get help.
I kept asking myself, "How could I be depressed? I'd had a normal family life, had been getting good grades, and
hadn't experienced any big trauma - where did my depression come from?" (John)
What Causes Depression?
The causes of depression are complex. Very often a combination of genetic, psychological and environmental factors is
involved in the onset of clinical depression. At times, however, depression occurs for no apparent reason. Regardless of
the cause, depression is almost always treatable.
Family History: Depression often runs in families, which usually means that some, but not all, family members have a
tendency to develop the illness. However, sometimes people who have no family history also develop depression.
Stress: Psychological and environmental stressors can contribute to a depressive episode, though individuals react
differently to life events and experiences. In coping with stress, some people find it helpful to write in a journal,
exercise, or talk with friends. In clinical depression you need some form of treatment to start feeling better soon.
Common stressors in college life include:
Greater academic demands
Being on your own in a new environment
Changes in family relations
Financial responsibilities
Changes in your social life
Exposure to new people, ideas, and temptations
Awareness of your sexual identity and orientation
Preparing for life after graduation
I had a period of nearly constant turmoil when I wanted to "come out" to my friends about being gay but didn't want
to be treated like an outsider. A good friend made jokes about homosexuals and I was afraid of what he'd say about
me. That stress played a big part in my becoming depressed. (Josh)
My family wanted me home every other weekend and I didn't fit in there anymore. I'd argue constantly with my
father, who still treated me like a child. My sister thought I was 'uppity.' Everyone was miserable; I felt guilty. (Kim)
Psychological make-up can play a role in vulnerability to depression. People with low self-esteem, who consistently
view themselves and the world with pessimism, or are readily overwhelmed by stress, may be especially prone to
depression. For Marta, her feelings of being "not good enough" were worsened by the academic stresses of college and
the emotional conflict caused by her parents' divorce, which combined to trigger her episode of major depression.
Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)
As mentioned earlier, bipolar disorder is a type of depressive illness that involves mood swings that go from periods of
depression to periods of being overly "up" and irritable. Sometimes the mood swings are dramatic or rapid, but most
often they occur gradually, over several weeks. The "up" or manic phase can include increased energy and activity,
insomnia, grandiose notions and impulsive or reckless behavior, including sexual promiscuity. Medication usually is
effective in controlling manic symptoms and preventing the recurrence of both manic and depressive episodes.
During a manic episode, I stayed awake for five days straight, but had a lot of energy. I spent my tuition on a major
shopping spree and long distance phone calls. I also had sex with several guys that I hardly knew. At the time, I felt so
great that I couldn't see that there were serious problems with what I was doing. (Teresa)
Suicide
Thoughts of death or suicide are usually signs of severe depression. "If you're feeling like you can't cope anymore, or
that life isn't worth living, get help," advised Darrel, a student who tried to kill himself during his freshman year.
"Talking to a professional can get you past those intense feelings and save your life."
Suicidal thoughts, impulses, or behaviors always should be taken seriously. If you are thinking about hurting or killing
yourself, SEEK HELP IMMEDIATELY. Contact someone you trust: a good friend, academic or resident advisor, or:
Staff at the University Health Services; a professor, coach, or advisor;
A local suicide or emergency hotline; in the Berkeley area: 510/849-2212; or call 911.
If someone you know has thoughts about suicide, the best thing to do is help the person get professional help. "I'm back
from the edge," Darrel says. "Now that I've gotten treatment, I know how to keep from being out there again."
Depression and Alcohol and Other Drugs
A lot of depressed people, especially teenagers, also have problems with alcohol or other drugs. Sometimes the
depression comes first and people try drugs as a way to escape it. Other times, the alcohol or other drug use comes first,
and depression is caused by the drug itself, or withdrawal from it, or the problems that substance use causes. And
sometimes you can't tell which came first... the important point is that when you have both of these problems, the
sooner you get treatment, the better.
Getting Help: Treatment Works
If you think you might be depressed, discuss this with a health care or mental health professional who can evaluate
your concerns. Bring an understanding friend for support if you are hesitant or anxious about the appointment.
Several effective treatments for depression are available and can provide relief from symptoms in just a few weeks. The
most common treatments are psychotherapy (“talk therapy”), antidepressant medication, or a combination of the two.
Which is the best treatment for an individual depends on the nature and severity of the depression. Sharing your
preferences and concerns with your treatment provider helps determine the course of treatment. Certain types of
psychotherapy can help resolve the psychological or interpersonal problems that contribute to, or result from, the
illness. Antidepressant medications relieve the physical and mood symptoms of depression and are not habit-forming.
In severe depression, medication is usually required.
Individuals respond differently to treatment. If you don't start feeling better after several weeks, talk to your provider
about trying other treatments or getting a second opinion.
Making a Decision and Taking the First Step
Don't let fear of what others might think stop you from doing what's best for you. Parents and friends may understand
more than you think they will, and they certainly want you to feel better though they may not completely understand.
I knew I was depressed but thought I could pull out of it by myself. Unfortunately, friends reinforced this attitude by
telling me to just toughen up. When that didn't work, I felt even worse because I had 'failed' again. When a friend
suggested I talk to his counselor, I resisted at first. In my mind, professional help was for weak, messed up people. But
then, I hit a bottom so low that I was willing to try anything. (John)
I decided to try treatment when my friends got fed up with me. They didn't want to talk about my problems any more,
but my problems were the major focus of my life. I needed someone who could help me understand what was
happening to me. I'd seen ads for the counseling center and decided to give it a try. (Kim)
When I began considering suicide, I knew I needed help. My resident advisor helped me call a hotline where I got
some referrals. It was just a phone call, but it was the starting point that got me the professional help I needed. (Leah)
Help Yourself: Be an Informed Consumer
Depression can make you feel exhausted, worthless, helpless and hopeless. Don't give in to negative thinking;
remember, these negative views are part of the depression, and will fade as treatment takes effect.
Take an active role in getting better. Make the most of the help available by being actively involved in your treatment
and by working with a qualified therapist or doctor. Once in treatment, don't hesitate to ask questions in order to
understand your illness and the way treatment works. And, if you don't start feeling better in a few weeks, speak with
the professional you are seeing about new approaches.
Be good to yourself while you're getting well. Along with professional help, there are some other simple things you can
do to help yourself get better, for example: participating in a support group, spending time with other people, or taking
part in activities, exercise, or hobbies. Just don't overdo it and don't set big goals for yourself. The health care
professional you are seeing may suggest useful books to read and other self-help strategies.
Helping a Depressed Friend
The best thing you can do for a depressed friend is to help him or her get treatment. This may involve encouraging the
person to seek professional help or to stay in treatment once it is begun. The next best thing is to offer emotional
support. This involves understanding, patience, affection, and encouragement. Engage the depressed person in
conversation or activities and be gently insistent if you meet with resistance. Remind that person that with time and
help, he or she will feel better.
Helpful and Affordable Resources
There are many people on and around campus that can offer help and support. In addition to the resources listed
below, staff in your living center, your family health care provider, and your clergy can be helpful resources for getting
help. If you are not eligible, or don’t know whether you are eligible, for the services listed below, contact the University
Health Services (UHS) anyway. We’re happy to discuss eligibility and referrals with you.
People are sometimes reluctant to seek help because they are concerned about the cost of treatment. If you are a Cal
student, contact the UHS to discuss the coverage provided by your student registration fees and your insurance plan.
Is It Worth It? … Yes!!
While the depression was painful, working to get better has taught me about who I am and how to stay healthy. (Marta)
Getting treatment definitely changed my life for the better and helped me avoid flunking a semester. (John)
Resources for Cal Students
University Health Services (UHS) Tang Center, 2222 Bancroft Way 510/ 642-2000 www.uhs.berkeley.edu
Emergency consultations
Counseling and Psych Services (M, T, W, F: 8-5; Th: 9-5): 642-9494.
After Hours Assistance: 510 /643-7197
24 hour crisis line: Alameda County Suicide Crisis Line: 510/849-2212
Appointments
Counseling and referral for anti-depressant medication evaluation, call CPS: 642-9494.
Medical appointments, including medication evaluations: 642-2000.
Health education appointments to discuss diet, exercise, and stress management: 642-2000.
Workshops
Counseling and Psychological Services (642-9494) has a variety of informational workshops and support
groups on depression, bipolar disorder, and understanding moods. Check the UHS website for updates and
schedules: www.uhs.berkeley.edu.
Self-Care Resource Center, Second Floor, Tang Center
A health information library with interactive computer programs, access to health websites, books, audio and
videotapes, pamphlets, magazines, journals and self-assessment tools. Books and handouts on depression and
other mental health issues. Hours during Fall and Spring Semesters are M – F, 11 am - 4 pm. 642-7202.
Adapted for UC Berkeley, University Health Services, from NIH Publication No. 97-4266; November 2003. s:uhs/healthed/depresscoll.doc
http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/home/healthtopics/pdf/depresstudents.pdf
What do these students have in common?
When I took a part-time job and started
living off-campus, my course work fell
apart. I couldn't concentrate or sleep,
and I was always IRRITABLE and angry.
- Leah, sophomore year
After two years of straight A's, I
couldn't finish assignments anymore. I
felt exhausted but couldn't sleep, and
drank A LOT. I couldn't enjoy life like
my friends did anymore. - John, junior
year
I've always been anxious and never
had much confidence. College was
harder than I expected, and then
my parents divorced, which was
traumatic for me. After a while, all I
did was cry, sleep, and feel waves
of panic. - Marta, freshman year
They are college students who got depressed...got
treatment...and got better.
College offers new experiences and challenges. This can be exciting; it can also be stressful and make you, or someone
you know, feel sad. When "the blues" last for weeks, or interfere with academic or social functioning, it may be clinical
depression. Clinical depression is a common, frequently unrecognized illness that can be effectively treated.
What is Clinical Depression?
Clinical depression can affect your body, mood, thoughts, and behavior. It can change your eating habits, how you feel
and think, your ability to work and study, and how you interact with people. Clinical depression is not a passing mood,
a sign of personal weakness, or a condition that can be willed away. Clinically depressed people cannot "pull themselves
together" and get better. Depression can be successfully treated. With the right treatment, 80 percent of those who seek
help get better. And many people begin to feel better in just a few weeks.
Types of Depressive Illness
Depressive illnesses come in different forms. The following are descriptions of the three most prevalent, though for an
individual, the number, severity, and duration of symptoms will vary.
Major depression is manifested by a combination of symptoms that interfere with your ability to work, sleep, eat, and
enjoy once pleasurable activities. These episodes can occur once, twice, or several times in a lifetime. Symptoms include:
Sadness, anxiety, or "empty" feelings
Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities
Appetite and weight changes (either loss or gain)
Sleep disturbances (insomnia, oversleeping, waking
much earlier than usual)
Feelings of hopelessness, guilt, and worthlessness
Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, remembering
Irritability or excessive crying
Chronic aches/pain not explained by other physical condition
A less intense type of depression, dysthymia, involves long-term, chronic symptoms that are less severe, but keep you
from functioning at your full ability and from feeling well. In bipolar illness (also known as manic-depressive illness),
cycles of depression alternate with cycles of elation and increased activity, known as mania.
How to Recognize Depression
The first step in defeating depression is recognizing it. It's normal to have some signs of depression some of the time. But
five or more symptoms for two weeks or longer, or noticeable changes in usual functioning, are all factors that should
be evaluated by a health or mental health professional. And remember, people who are depressed may not be thinking
clearly and may need help to get help.
I kept asking myself, "How could I be depressed? I'd had a normal family life, had been getting good grades, and
hadn't experienced any big trauma - where did my depression come from?" (John)
What Causes Depression?
The causes of depression are complex. Very often a combination of genetic, psychological and environmental factors is
involved in the onset of clinical depression. At times, however, depression occurs for no apparent reason. Regardless of
the cause, depression is almost always treatable.
Family History: Depression often runs in families, which usually means that some, but not all, family members have a
tendency to develop the illness. However, sometimes people who have no family history also develop depression.
Stress: Psychological and environmental stressors can contribute to a depressive episode, though individuals react
differently to life events and experiences. In coping with stress, some people find it helpful to write in a journal,
exercise, or talk with friends. In clinical depression you need some form of treatment to start feeling better soon.
Common stressors in college life include:
Greater academic demands
Being on your own in a new environment
Changes in family relations
Financial responsibilities
Changes in your social life
Exposure to new people, ideas, and temptations
Awareness of your sexual identity and orientation
Preparing for life after graduation
I had a period of nearly constant turmoil when I wanted to "come out" to my friends about being gay but didn't want
to be treated like an outsider. A good friend made jokes about homosexuals and I was afraid of what he'd say about
me. That stress played a big part in my becoming depressed. (Josh)
My family wanted me home every other weekend and I didn't fit in there anymore. I'd argue constantly with my
father, who still treated me like a child. My sister thought I was 'uppity.' Everyone was miserable; I felt guilty. (Kim)
Psychological make-up can play a role in vulnerability to depression. People with low self-esteem, who consistently
view themselves and the world with pessimism, or are readily overwhelmed by stress, may be especially prone to
depression. For Marta, her feelings of being "not good enough" were worsened by the academic stresses of college and
the emotional conflict caused by her parents' divorce, which combined to trigger her episode of major depression.
Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)
As mentioned earlier, bipolar disorder is a type of depressive illness that involves mood swings that go from periods of
depression to periods of being overly "up" and irritable. Sometimes the mood swings are dramatic or rapid, but most
often they occur gradually, over several weeks. The "up" or manic phase can include increased energy and activity,
insomnia, grandiose notions and impulsive or reckless behavior, including sexual promiscuity. Medication usually is
effective in controlling manic symptoms and preventing the recurrence of both manic and depressive episodes.
During a manic episode, I stayed awake for five days straight, but had a lot of energy. I spent my tuition on a major
shopping spree and long distance phone calls. I also had sex with several guys that I hardly knew. At the time, I felt so
great that I couldn't see that there were serious problems with what I was doing. (Teresa)
Suicide
Thoughts of death or suicide are usually signs of severe depression. "If you're feeling like you can't cope anymore, or
that life isn't worth living, get help," advised Darrel, a student who tried to kill himself during his freshman year.
"Talking to a professional can get you past those intense feelings and save your life."
Suicidal thoughts, impulses, or behaviors always should be taken seriously. If you are thinking about hurting or killing
yourself, SEEK HELP IMMEDIATELY. Contact someone you trust: a good friend, academic or resident advisor, or:
Staff at the University Health Services; a professor, coach, or advisor;
A local suicide or emergency hotline; in the Berkeley area: 510/849-2212; or call 911.
If someone you know has thoughts about suicide, the best thing to do is help the person get professional help. "I'm back
from the edge," Darrel says. "Now that I've gotten treatment, I know how to keep from being out there again."
Depression and Alcohol and Other Drugs
A lot of depressed people, especially teenagers, also have problems with alcohol or other drugs. Sometimes the
depression comes first and people try drugs as a way to escape it. Other times, the alcohol or other drug use comes first,
and depression is caused by the drug itself, or withdrawal from it, or the problems that substance use causes. And
sometimes you can't tell which came first... the important point is that when you have both of these problems, the
sooner you get treatment, the better.
Getting Help: Treatment Works
If you think you might be depressed, discuss this with a health care or mental health professional who can evaluate
your concerns. Bring an understanding friend for support if you are hesitant or anxious about the appointment.
Several effective treatments for depression are available and can provide relief from symptoms in just a few weeks. The
most common treatments are psychotherapy (“talk therapy”), antidepressant medication, or a combination of the two.
Which is the best treatment for an individual depends on the nature and severity of the depression. Sharing your
preferences and concerns with your treatment provider helps determine the course of treatment. Certain types of
psychotherapy can help resolve the psychological or interpersonal problems that contribute to, or result from, the
illness. Antidepressant medications relieve the physical and mood symptoms of depression and are not habit-forming.
In severe depression, medication is usually required.
Individuals respond differently to treatment. If you don't start feeling better after several weeks, talk to your provider
about trying other treatments or getting a second opinion.
Making a Decision and Taking the First Step
Don't let fear of what others might think stop you from doing what's best for you. Parents and friends may understand
more than you think they will, and they certainly want you to feel better though they may not completely understand.
I knew I was depressed but thought I could pull out of it by myself. Unfortunately, friends reinforced this attitude by
telling me to just toughen up. When that didn't work, I felt even worse because I had 'failed' again. When a friend
suggested I talk to his counselor, I resisted at first. In my mind, professional help was for weak, messed up people. But
then, I hit a bottom so low that I was willing to try anything. (John)
I decided to try treatment when my friends got fed up with me. They didn't want to talk about my problems any more,
but my problems were the major focus of my life. I needed someone who could help me understand what was
happening to me. I'd seen ads for the counseling center and decided to give it a try. (Kim)
When I began considering suicide, I knew I needed help. My resident advisor helped me call a hotline where I got
some referrals. It was just a phone call, but it was the starting point that got me the professional help I needed. (Leah)
Help Yourself: Be an Informed Consumer
Depression can make you feel exhausted, worthless, helpless and hopeless. Don't give in to negative thinking;
remember, these negative views are part of the depression, and will fade as treatment takes effect.
Take an active role in getting better. Make the most of the help available by being actively involved in your treatment
and by working with a qualified therapist or doctor. Once in treatment, don't hesitate to ask questions in order to
understand your illness and the way treatment works. And, if you don't start feeling better in a few weeks, speak with
the professional you are seeing about new approaches.
Be good to yourself while you're getting well. Along with professional help, there are some other simple things you can
do to help yourself get better, for example: participating in a support group, spending time with other people, or taking
part in activities, exercise, or hobbies. Just don't overdo it and don't set big goals for yourself. The health care
professional you are seeing may suggest useful books to read and other self-help strategies.
Helping a Depressed Friend
The best thing you can do for a depressed friend is to help him or her get treatment. This may involve encouraging the
person to seek professional help or to stay in treatment once it is begun. The next best thing is to offer emotional
support. This involves understanding, patience, affection, and encouragement. Engage the depressed person in
conversation or activities and be gently insistent if you meet with resistance. Remind that person that with time and
help, he or she will feel better.
Helpful and Affordable Resources
There are many people on and around campus that can offer help and support. In addition to the resources listed
below, staff in your living center, your family health care provider, and your clergy can be helpful resources for getting
help. If you are not eligible, or don’t know whether you are eligible, for the services listed below, contact the University
Health Services (UHS) anyway. We’re happy to discuss eligibility and referrals with you.
People are sometimes reluctant to seek help because they are concerned about the cost of treatment. If you are a Cal
student, contact the UHS to discuss the coverage provided by your student registration fees and your insurance plan.
Is It Worth It? … Yes!!
While the depression was painful, working to get better has taught me about who I am and how to stay healthy. (Marta)
Getting treatment definitely changed my life for the better and helped me avoid flunking a semester. (John)
Resources for Cal Students
University Health Services (UHS) Tang Center, 2222 Bancroft Way 510/ 642-2000 www.uhs.berkeley.edu
Emergency consultations
Counseling and Psych Services (M, T, W, F: 8-5; Th: 9-5): 642-9494.
After Hours Assistance: 510 /643-7197
24 hour crisis line: Alameda County Suicide Crisis Line: 510/849-2212
Appointments
Counseling and referral for anti-depressant medication evaluation, call CPS: 642-9494.
Medical appointments, including medication evaluations: 642-2000.
Health education appointments to discuss diet, exercise, and stress management: 642-2000.
Workshops
Counseling and Psychological Services (642-9494) has a variety of informational workshops and support
groups on depression, bipolar disorder, and understanding moods. Check the UHS website for updates and
schedules: www.uhs.berkeley.edu.
Self-Care Resource Center, Second Floor, Tang Center
A health information library with interactive computer programs, access to health websites, books, audio and
videotapes, pamphlets, magazines, journals and self-assessment tools. Books and handouts on depression and
other mental health issues. Hours during Fall and Spring Semesters are M – F, 11 am - 4 pm. 642-7202.
Adapted for UC Berkeley, University Health Services, from NIH Publication No. 97-4266; November 2003. s:uhs/healthed/depresscoll.doc
http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/home/healthtopics/pdf/depresstudents.pdf
Harvard Mental Health Survey
Survey Finds Depression Pervasive in College
Published On Monday, March 31, 2003 12:00 AM
By EBONIE D. HAZLE
Crimson Staff Writer
ARTICLE TOOLS:
E-mail this Article
Printer Friendly Version
Write a Letter to the Editor
Nearly half of the Harvard College student body felt depressed during the last academic year and almost 10 percent of undergraduates reported that they had considered suicide, according to the results of a survey released by University Health Services (UHS) earlier this month.
The survey results reveal a startling number of undergraduates battling depression at Harvard and cite stress and lack of sleep as the leading factors affecting students’ academic performances.
And, more alarming to College administrators, most students are not reaching out for help.
“The biggest problem the University faces is finding ways to reduce the stigma of depression so people will come in for care,” UHS Director of Mental Health Services Richard D. Kadison wrote in an e-mail.
According to the results, less than half of those students diagnosed with depression are currently in therapy, though the figure is up from the 32.4 percent who said two years ago they were seeking counseling.
The survey, completed by roughly 14 percent of undergraduates enrolled during the 2001-2002 academic year, also found a high number of incidents of sexual assault on campus. Nearly 10 percent of Harvard undergraduates were involved in sexual touching against their will during the last year, according to the survey results, and about one percent of students reported involuntary sexual penetration.
UHS randomly sampled 2,500 of the 6,650 of the Harvard undergraduates enrolled during the 2001-2002 academic year, and 930 surveys were returned, for a roughly 37.2 percent response rate.
The health survey was only the second attempt to track Harvard students’ health behavior and attitudes since an initiative in 2000 where UHS partnered with the American College Health Association to investigate the health of students at Harvard and to compare those findings to national statistics. Prior to that joint effort, there was virtually no data about adolescent health available that was specific to college students.
College of the ‘Overwhelmed’
The UHS survey results reflect a stressed student body.
According to the results, 47.4 percent of students at the College reported feeling depressed at least once during the past academic year, and about a third say they’ve felt overwhelmed 11 or more times—the highest category choice.
Almost ten percent of students said that they had been clinically diagnosed with depression, and more than half of those students said that diagnosis came within the last year. In 2000, only a third of students who said they were clinically depressed said they had been diagnosed in the past year.
And 1.1 percent of those surveyed—roughly nine students—reported that they had attempted suicide in the last year.
Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68 said that he thinks the demanding work ethic and the high stress level of some students may be partly to blame for Harvard students’ poor mental health.
“Certainly I am not surprised by the generally high levels of reported stress and depression…I do think that students expect too much of themselves and sometimes take too much on,” he wrote in an email.
The survey statistics support Lewis’ hypothesis.
Thirty-three percent of students reported feeling exhausted—for reasons other than physical activity—11 or more times in the past school year.
A significant portion of students are also not getting the exercise they need; twenty-two percent of those surveyed reported no vigorous or moderate exercise in the previous week.
And when asked whether any of 24 factors had affected their academic performance within the last school year, stress and sleep issues made up more than half of undergraduates’ citations.
Despite concerns that students are not seeking help, UHS has seen an overall increase in the number of students receiving treatment for depression and other mental health problems over the past three years.
“We’ve had a significant increase in our staffing to meet the demand, but the demand has grown as quickly as the new staffing, which I see as a good sign,” Kadison wrote.
Kadison said that he thinks that the increased presence of peer counseling groups is one reason for the increase.
“Students are more likely to listen to their peers and these groups are helping students to get information and learn about resources,” he wrote.
Rise in Sexual Assault
There was a statistically significant rise in reported incidents of sexual assault on campus last year. The percentage of students who were involved in sexual touching against their will increased to 9.7 percent last year, up from the 7.6 percent who reported being victims of such acts in 2000.
Moreover, 0.9 percent—1.3 of female respondents and 0.3 percent of male respondents—reported actual sexual penetration against their will. Though lower than the national average, which was 1.8 percent in 2000, that figure still means that at least nine out of the 930 students on campus who completed this survey said they had been raped over the course of the previous year.
Students’ perceived access to information about sexual assault has increased markedly in the last two years. In the most recent survey, 82 percent reported receiving information on sexual assault and rape, more than any other health-related topic and a ten percent increase from 2000.
These statistics come nearly a year after the Faculty’s controversial vote to require corroborating evidence before the College’s Administrative Board investigates peer-to-peer disputes—including claims of sexual assault.
The backlash to that policy change led to the formation of a committee to review and make recommendations on Harvard’s support services for victims of sexual violence and on preventive, educational and outreach programs to reduce the incidence of sexual violence in the College.
That committee was the third in a one-year span formed to examine the way that Harvard deals with sexual assault.
Everybody’s Doing It
Questions about students’ sexual habits revealed that Harvard students are less sexually active than their peers at other institutions, though that is definitely not the perception of students on campus.
According to the survey, 49.3 percent Harvard students have never had vaginal sex. But Harvard undergraduates have a much higher estimate of the amount of sex their fellow students are having.
For example, 61.4 percent of Harvard students said they believed the typical Harvard student had had vaginal sex with 2 or more partners over the course of the last year. But only 22.8 percent of students reported having vaginal sex with
that number of partners. In fact, 41.8 percent of the survey respondents said that they had not had vaginal sex with any partner during the previous year.
But those Harvard students who are engaging in sexual activity are much more likely to use some form of contraception than the typical American college student. Roughly 60 percent of those students who had engaged in vaginal intercourse reported mostly or always using a condom. That’s up three percent from 2000 and significantly higher than the national average, which in recent years has been about 45 percent.
Kadison, however, says that level of contraception use is still below where it should be.
Another interesting finding of the survey is that Harvard students are roughly twice as likely as their peers to use emergency contraception. Use of the morning after pill up to 14.2 percent this year from 13 percent in 2000. The national average in 2000 was just 6.7 percent.
Other Interesting Findings
The survey had several other important findings not directly related to sexual health.
For instance, 40.4 percent (23 percent men and 54 percent of women) reported that they were actively trying to lose weight.
UHS has also seen an increase in students seeking treatment for acute alcohol intoxication. “There have been at least two incidents that might have led to the death of a student if they hadn’t been brought in when they were,” Kadison wrote. Furthermore, 9.8 percent of students reported having unprotected sex as a result of drinking, which was a large jump from the 7 percent who reported such actions in the 2000 survey.
—Staff writer Ebonie D. Hazle can be reached at hazle@fas.harvard.edu.
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=347255
Published On Monday, March 31, 2003 12:00 AM
By EBONIE D. HAZLE
Crimson Staff Writer
ARTICLE TOOLS:
E-mail this Article
Printer Friendly Version
Write a Letter to the Editor
Nearly half of the Harvard College student body felt depressed during the last academic year and almost 10 percent of undergraduates reported that they had considered suicide, according to the results of a survey released by University Health Services (UHS) earlier this month.
The survey results reveal a startling number of undergraduates battling depression at Harvard and cite stress and lack of sleep as the leading factors affecting students’ academic performances.
And, more alarming to College administrators, most students are not reaching out for help.
“The biggest problem the University faces is finding ways to reduce the stigma of depression so people will come in for care,” UHS Director of Mental Health Services Richard D. Kadison wrote in an e-mail.
According to the results, less than half of those students diagnosed with depression are currently in therapy, though the figure is up from the 32.4 percent who said two years ago they were seeking counseling.
The survey, completed by roughly 14 percent of undergraduates enrolled during the 2001-2002 academic year, also found a high number of incidents of sexual assault on campus. Nearly 10 percent of Harvard undergraduates were involved in sexual touching against their will during the last year, according to the survey results, and about one percent of students reported involuntary sexual penetration.
UHS randomly sampled 2,500 of the 6,650 of the Harvard undergraduates enrolled during the 2001-2002 academic year, and 930 surveys were returned, for a roughly 37.2 percent response rate.
The health survey was only the second attempt to track Harvard students’ health behavior and attitudes since an initiative in 2000 where UHS partnered with the American College Health Association to investigate the health of students at Harvard and to compare those findings to national statistics. Prior to that joint effort, there was virtually no data about adolescent health available that was specific to college students.
College of the ‘Overwhelmed’
The UHS survey results reflect a stressed student body.
According to the results, 47.4 percent of students at the College reported feeling depressed at least once during the past academic year, and about a third say they’ve felt overwhelmed 11 or more times—the highest category choice.
Almost ten percent of students said that they had been clinically diagnosed with depression, and more than half of those students said that diagnosis came within the last year. In 2000, only a third of students who said they were clinically depressed said they had been diagnosed in the past year.
And 1.1 percent of those surveyed—roughly nine students—reported that they had attempted suicide in the last year.
Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68 said that he thinks the demanding work ethic and the high stress level of some students may be partly to blame for Harvard students’ poor mental health.
“Certainly I am not surprised by the generally high levels of reported stress and depression…I do think that students expect too much of themselves and sometimes take too much on,” he wrote in an email.
The survey statistics support Lewis’ hypothesis.
Thirty-three percent of students reported feeling exhausted—for reasons other than physical activity—11 or more times in the past school year.
A significant portion of students are also not getting the exercise they need; twenty-two percent of those surveyed reported no vigorous or moderate exercise in the previous week.
And when asked whether any of 24 factors had affected their academic performance within the last school year, stress and sleep issues made up more than half of undergraduates’ citations.
Despite concerns that students are not seeking help, UHS has seen an overall increase in the number of students receiving treatment for depression and other mental health problems over the past three years.
“We’ve had a significant increase in our staffing to meet the demand, but the demand has grown as quickly as the new staffing, which I see as a good sign,” Kadison wrote.
Kadison said that he thinks that the increased presence of peer counseling groups is one reason for the increase.
“Students are more likely to listen to their peers and these groups are helping students to get information and learn about resources,” he wrote.
Rise in Sexual Assault
There was a statistically significant rise in reported incidents of sexual assault on campus last year. The percentage of students who were involved in sexual touching against their will increased to 9.7 percent last year, up from the 7.6 percent who reported being victims of such acts in 2000.
Moreover, 0.9 percent—1.3 of female respondents and 0.3 percent of male respondents—reported actual sexual penetration against their will. Though lower than the national average, which was 1.8 percent in 2000, that figure still means that at least nine out of the 930 students on campus who completed this survey said they had been raped over the course of the previous year.
Students’ perceived access to information about sexual assault has increased markedly in the last two years. In the most recent survey, 82 percent reported receiving information on sexual assault and rape, more than any other health-related topic and a ten percent increase from 2000.
These statistics come nearly a year after the Faculty’s controversial vote to require corroborating evidence before the College’s Administrative Board investigates peer-to-peer disputes—including claims of sexual assault.
The backlash to that policy change led to the formation of a committee to review and make recommendations on Harvard’s support services for victims of sexual violence and on preventive, educational and outreach programs to reduce the incidence of sexual violence in the College.
That committee was the third in a one-year span formed to examine the way that Harvard deals with sexual assault.
Everybody’s Doing It
Questions about students’ sexual habits revealed that Harvard students are less sexually active than their peers at other institutions, though that is definitely not the perception of students on campus.
According to the survey, 49.3 percent Harvard students have never had vaginal sex. But Harvard undergraduates have a much higher estimate of the amount of sex their fellow students are having.
For example, 61.4 percent of Harvard students said they believed the typical Harvard student had had vaginal sex with 2 or more partners over the course of the last year. But only 22.8 percent of students reported having vaginal sex with
that number of partners. In fact, 41.8 percent of the survey respondents said that they had not had vaginal sex with any partner during the previous year.
But those Harvard students who are engaging in sexual activity are much more likely to use some form of contraception than the typical American college student. Roughly 60 percent of those students who had engaged in vaginal intercourse reported mostly or always using a condom. That’s up three percent from 2000 and significantly higher than the national average, which in recent years has been about 45 percent.
Kadison, however, says that level of contraception use is still below where it should be.
Another interesting finding of the survey is that Harvard students are roughly twice as likely as their peers to use emergency contraception. Use of the morning after pill up to 14.2 percent this year from 13 percent in 2000. The national average in 2000 was just 6.7 percent.
Other Interesting Findings
The survey had several other important findings not directly related to sexual health.
For instance, 40.4 percent (23 percent men and 54 percent of women) reported that they were actively trying to lose weight.
UHS has also seen an increase in students seeking treatment for acute alcohol intoxication. “There have been at least two incidents that might have led to the death of a student if they hadn’t been brought in when they were,” Kadison wrote. Furthermore, 9.8 percent of students reported having unprotected sex as a result of drinking, which was a large jump from the 7 percent who reported such actions in the 2000 survey.
—Staff writer Ebonie D. Hazle can be reached at hazle@fas.harvard.edu.
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=347255
Colleges target mental health
Campus groups, courses, online services help reduce the stigma of treatment
By Gary Gately, Globe Correspondent | April 17, 2005
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, trained students staff an all-night hot line that fellow students call to talk about everything from stress to suicidal depression. When Harvard University offered free iPods at a depression screening, about 800 students showed up to fill out mental health surveys. Brandeis University students recently gathered for a movie night focusing on depression on campus. One film's title: ''The Truth About Suicide: Real Stories of Depression in College."
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Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts In the Boston area and throughout the country, colleges have expanded efforts to educate students about mental illness and provide treatment. Many schools have increased staffing at counseling centers. Others have developed courses on dealing with stress, added depression screening days, offered students online help, and undertaken an array of efforts to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.
Highly publicized campus suicides and research showing an alarming prevalence of mental illness on campuses have heightened the sense of urgency. The reality of rampant mental illness on campus shatters the notion of college as a carefree time when the biggest worries are passing finals and finding a date. For many students, dark shadows shroud the sheltered nest of academe.
More than 40 percent of US students become so depressed during their four years in college that they have trouble functioning, while 15 percent suffer clinical depression, according to a 2004 survey of 47,202 students by the American College Health Association. The annual survey found that 1 in 10 college students had seriously considered suicide, the second-leading cause of death among college students, claiming about 1,100 lives a year.
Richard Kadison, Harvard's chief of mental health services, offers a sobering reality check to parents of incoming students: ''I tell them, 'Look at the person next to you. One of your kids is going to get depressed to the point they can't function in college. There's no shame in that. The only shame is if you don't recognize the problem and do something about it.' "
Specialists have long known that the onset of mental illness often comes during adolescence or early adulthood. Living away from home, often for the first time, compounds stress and anxiety. So, too, does pressure to succeed in an increasingly competitive climate on campus.
Because of the use of antidepressants, many youngsters who wouldn't have been able to attend college in the past now do so. That forces schools to deal with more students struggling with more severe mental illness.
Despite the pervasiveness of mental illness on campus, specialists say, one of the toughest challenges remains overcoming stigmas that keep students from seeking treatment. In fact, more than a third of college students who committed suicide had never sought treatment, said Kadison, co-author of ''College of the Overwhelmed: The Campus Mental Health Crisis and What to Do About It.
''The most frustrating thing for most of us in the field is trying to get students in the door; that's the hard part," Kadison said. ''When a student is in distress, you have a brief window of opportunity to help them."
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Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Brian Malmon was a student who suffered in silence. At Columbia University, he made the dean's list every semester, wrote and edited for the campus newspaper, and led an a cappella singing group. Friends and relatives remember that others leaned on him when they struggled. He comforted people. He made people laugh.
During his three years at Columbia, nobody knew about the voices that existed only in his mind or about the darkness that enveloped him. He hid his schizophrenia and depression well before he was diagnosed in the fall of his senior year. Then, on March 24, 2000, at his family's home in Maryland, he squeezed the trigger of a handgun and ended his life.
Since then, his sister, Alison Malmon, has made it her mission to help spare others the horrific pain her brother and all those who loved him suffered. Malmon, a 23-year-old graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, founded the nonprofit Active Minds on Campus, which aims to build awareness about mental illness on campus and reduce the stigma associated with it. A fledgling chapter has started at Brandeis in Waltham.
''Brian was just trying his hardest to hide his illness from as many people as he could," she said. ''I think part of him just felt like it was his fault."
Active Minds works hard to dispel such misconceptions. The group reaches students through its chapters and a website, ActiveMindsOnCampus.org, which includes mental health screening and links to other sites to help those with mental illness.
For its mental health movie night, members of the Brandeis chapter covered the walls of a room on campus with facts about mental illness and quotes from famous people who suffered depression. The group also set up tables on campus and passed out silver ribbons, a symbol of mental illness.
Michelle Schlesinger, the Brandeis freshman who started the chapter, has suffered depression, and she said eliminating the stigma will ease the suffering of others. ''When one person starts talking and breaks the silence," she said, ''it breaks the stigma. And people start to realize anyone can have depression."
Like Active Minds, the Jed Foundation strives to strengthen the safety net for at-risk students. The foundation, the first nonprofit group dedicated solely to reducing suicide on college campuses, grew out of a family's painful loss: Jed Satow, a University of Arizona student, killed himself in 1998 at the age of 20.
Colleges nationwide have tried to help troubled students before they're in crisis.
Harvard hired more therapists within the past five years, and this school year added a new high-level position to oversee and better coordinate disparate mental health services the university had termed fragmented ''fiefdoms."
At MIT, teams of physicians and counselors hang out with students in the dorms. And some of the dorms have been redesigned to foster more interaction and less isolation. ''Having staff available and present goes a long way toward demystifying the whole idea of mental health and psychological problems," said Alan E. Siegel, chief of the Mental Health Service at MIT.
Columbia, Cornell, and New York University station counselors in dorms. Harvard sends to dorms ''wellness-resource tutors" who help students deal with issues from procrastination and stress to depression. Some schools, including MIT, offer stress-reduction and relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and tai chi.
Emory University, the University of North Carolina, and MIT ask students to fill out anonymous mental health questionnaires. A credited course at the University of Maryland helps freshmen deal with stress and time management. Now about two-thirds of the nation's schools offer such courses.
At Tufts University, Jonathan Slavin, director of the counseling center, said the campus has reduced the stigma associated with mental illness to the point that 750 of 6,000 undergraduates have received counseling. ''If you can make a counseling service commonplace and ordinary, and students can just drop by," he said, ''that is the best prevention. That means you made the place something other than this kind of scary, mysterious place you got to be crazy to go to."
But despite progress, specialists say, huge gaps in treatment on campuses remain.
Such concerns have spread from campuses to Capitol Hill. Lawmakers approved $82 million in federal funding last fall for programs to prevent youth suicide, including $15 million in grants for mental health programs at colleges and universities.
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/04/17/colleges_target_mental_health/?page=2
Campus groups, courses, online services help reduce the stigma of treatment
By Gary Gately, Globe Correspondent | April 17, 2005
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, trained students staff an all-night hot line that fellow students call to talk about everything from stress to suicidal depression. When Harvard University offered free iPods at a depression screening, about 800 students showed up to fill out mental health surveys. Brandeis University students recently gathered for a movie night focusing on depression on campus. One film's title: ''The Truth About Suicide: Real Stories of Depression in College."
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powered by Del.icio.us
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Education section |
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Boston.com
Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts In the Boston area and throughout the country, colleges have expanded efforts to educate students about mental illness and provide treatment. Many schools have increased staffing at counseling centers. Others have developed courses on dealing with stress, added depression screening days, offered students online help, and undertaken an array of efforts to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.
Highly publicized campus suicides and research showing an alarming prevalence of mental illness on campuses have heightened the sense of urgency. The reality of rampant mental illness on campus shatters the notion of college as a carefree time when the biggest worries are passing finals and finding a date. For many students, dark shadows shroud the sheltered nest of academe.
More than 40 percent of US students become so depressed during their four years in college that they have trouble functioning, while 15 percent suffer clinical depression, according to a 2004 survey of 47,202 students by the American College Health Association. The annual survey found that 1 in 10 college students had seriously considered suicide, the second-leading cause of death among college students, claiming about 1,100 lives a year.
Richard Kadison, Harvard's chief of mental health services, offers a sobering reality check to parents of incoming students: ''I tell them, 'Look at the person next to you. One of your kids is going to get depressed to the point they can't function in college. There's no shame in that. The only shame is if you don't recognize the problem and do something about it.' "
Specialists have long known that the onset of mental illness often comes during adolescence or early adulthood. Living away from home, often for the first time, compounds stress and anxiety. So, too, does pressure to succeed in an increasingly competitive climate on campus.
Because of the use of antidepressants, many youngsters who wouldn't have been able to attend college in the past now do so. That forces schools to deal with more students struggling with more severe mental illness.
Despite the pervasiveness of mental illness on campus, specialists say, one of the toughest challenges remains overcoming stigmas that keep students from seeking treatment. In fact, more than a third of college students who committed suicide had never sought treatment, said Kadison, co-author of ''College of the Overwhelmed: The Campus Mental Health Crisis and What to Do About It.
''The most frustrating thing for most of us in the field is trying to get students in the door; that's the hard part," Kadison said. ''When a student is in distress, you have a brief window of opportunity to help them."
Article Tools
Printer friendly
Single page
E-mail to a friend
Education RSS feed
Available RSS feeds
Most e-mailed
Reprints & Licensing
Save this article
powered by Del.icio.us
More:
Globe Education stories |
Education section |
Globe front page |
Boston.com
Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Brian Malmon was a student who suffered in silence. At Columbia University, he made the dean's list every semester, wrote and edited for the campus newspaper, and led an a cappella singing group. Friends and relatives remember that others leaned on him when they struggled. He comforted people. He made people laugh.
During his three years at Columbia, nobody knew about the voices that existed only in his mind or about the darkness that enveloped him. He hid his schizophrenia and depression well before he was diagnosed in the fall of his senior year. Then, on March 24, 2000, at his family's home in Maryland, he squeezed the trigger of a handgun and ended his life.
Since then, his sister, Alison Malmon, has made it her mission to help spare others the horrific pain her brother and all those who loved him suffered. Malmon, a 23-year-old graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, founded the nonprofit Active Minds on Campus, which aims to build awareness about mental illness on campus and reduce the stigma associated with it. A fledgling chapter has started at Brandeis in Waltham.
''Brian was just trying his hardest to hide his illness from as many people as he could," she said. ''I think part of him just felt like it was his fault."
Active Minds works hard to dispel such misconceptions. The group reaches students through its chapters and a website, ActiveMindsOnCampus.org, which includes mental health screening and links to other sites to help those with mental illness.
For its mental health movie night, members of the Brandeis chapter covered the walls of a room on campus with facts about mental illness and quotes from famous people who suffered depression. The group also set up tables on campus and passed out silver ribbons, a symbol of mental illness.
Michelle Schlesinger, the Brandeis freshman who started the chapter, has suffered depression, and she said eliminating the stigma will ease the suffering of others. ''When one person starts talking and breaks the silence," she said, ''it breaks the stigma. And people start to realize anyone can have depression."
Like Active Minds, the Jed Foundation strives to strengthen the safety net for at-risk students. The foundation, the first nonprofit group dedicated solely to reducing suicide on college campuses, grew out of a family's painful loss: Jed Satow, a University of Arizona student, killed himself in 1998 at the age of 20.
Colleges nationwide have tried to help troubled students before they're in crisis.
Harvard hired more therapists within the past five years, and this school year added a new high-level position to oversee and better coordinate disparate mental health services the university had termed fragmented ''fiefdoms."
At MIT, teams of physicians and counselors hang out with students in the dorms. And some of the dorms have been redesigned to foster more interaction and less isolation. ''Having staff available and present goes a long way toward demystifying the whole idea of mental health and psychological problems," said Alan E. Siegel, chief of the Mental Health Service at MIT.
Columbia, Cornell, and New York University station counselors in dorms. Harvard sends to dorms ''wellness-resource tutors" who help students deal with issues from procrastination and stress to depression. Some schools, including MIT, offer stress-reduction and relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and tai chi.
Emory University, the University of North Carolina, and MIT ask students to fill out anonymous mental health questionnaires. A credited course at the University of Maryland helps freshmen deal with stress and time management. Now about two-thirds of the nation's schools offer such courses.
At Tufts University, Jonathan Slavin, director of the counseling center, said the campus has reduced the stigma associated with mental illness to the point that 750 of 6,000 undergraduates have received counseling. ''If you can make a counseling service commonplace and ordinary, and students can just drop by," he said, ''that is the best prevention. That means you made the place something other than this kind of scary, mysterious place you got to be crazy to go to."
But despite progress, specialists say, huge gaps in treatment on campuses remain.
Such concerns have spread from campuses to Capitol Hill. Lawmakers approved $82 million in federal funding last fall for programs to prevent youth suicide, including $15 million in grants for mental health programs at colleges and universities.
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/04/17/colleges_target_mental_health/?page=2
Harvardian Lifestyle Surveyed, Compared
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October 04, 2001
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HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES
Study finds Harvard students healthier than peers
By William J. Cromie
Gazette Staff
Students at Harvard drink more, smoke less, and have less sex than students at other colleges, according to the first nationwide survey of college lifestyles and health behaviors. Harvardians also are more depressed, get into fewer fights, and are slightly more likely to be homosexual or bisexual.
The American College Health Association did the survey by sending questionnaires to 28 schools last year; 16,024 undergraduate students responded including 904 from Harvard.
"We were pleased to see that we are no worse and slightly better than other schools," said David Rosenthal, director of Harvard's University Health Services (UHS).
Slightly more than 75 percent of Harvard students described their health as excellent or very good, compared with 61 percent of the national sample.
"Smoking is a problem," admitted Rosenthal. Although only 15.6 percent of Harvard students said they smoke, compared with 25.3 percent nationally, "I was surprised at the large number of our students who smoke," he said.
"We see smoking increasing as students move from their freshman to their senior year," noted Michael Hoyt, coordinator of health resources at UHS. "This is a huge issue because students are at the age where they're starting to form lifetime habits."
"Alcohol is also a big issue," Rosenthal said. Slightly more than 72 percent of Harvard students reported drinking alcohol in the 30 days before completing the questionnaire, compared with the national average of 68 percent.
"The thing that keeps me up at night is concern about students injuring themselves or others after drinking too much," Rosenthal noted.
About 8 percent of Harvard students reported driving after drinking. Fourteen percent admitted injuring themselves as a consequence of drinking, compared with 17 percent nationally. Two percent said they injured another person, compared with more than 4 percent nationally. At Harvard, 30 percent of the drinkers forgot where they were or what they did at times; the national average was 28 percent.
Alcohol use affected the academic performance of 5.5 percent of students at Harvard, versus 7.9 percent nationally, according to the survey.
Drinking and sex
Drinking that leads to unwanted sex is a problem on every campus. One percent of Harvard's female undergraduates reported use of force or threats of force to have sex, less than half the 2.3 percent national average.
At Harvard, 0.8 percent of the women reported they were raped, compared with 1.8 percent nationally. "The 0.8 percent amounts to 52 students," Hoyt pointed out. He noted that less than a half-dozen rapes were actually reported. "That is the kind of information we need in our efforts to get the number down to zero."
Thirty-nine percent of Harvard males and females said they had no sex partners within the past school year, compared with 29 percent of males and 27 percent of females nationally. Five percent of Harvard men and women reported having four or more partners in the past school year, compared with national numbers of 11 percent and 5 percent, respectively.
At Harvard, 2.6 percent of students describe themselves as gay or lesbian versus 1.4 percent nationally. For bisexuality, the numbers are 2.2 versus 1.5 percent. Some students said they were "not sure" of their sexual orientation - 1.7 percent at Harvard, 1.5 percent nationally.
Living away from home and meeting academic standards can be stressful for many students. Nationally, 23 percent reported they have been diagnosed with depression within the past year, as opposed to 34 percent at Harvard. Approximately 34 percent of the Harvardians are in therapy or taking medication for depression, versus about 19 percent nationally.
Rosenthal attributed the higher numbers of those in treatment to a Harvard outreach program begun last year. "We have the students watching out for each other," he noted. "The faculty - even dining-service workers - are alert for signs of depression. And we have increased the number and hours of availability of mental health professionals."
Rosenthal also expressed concern about diet and physical activity on campus. More than a quarter of Harvard students (29 percent of the males, 21 percent of the females) said they are overweight. Two percent checked "very overweight" on the questionnaire. Forty-two percent of Harvard students, and 50 percent of students nationally are exercising to lose weight; for dieting the numbers are 23 and 26 percent.
Harvard has been working to improve all its numbers, said Hoyt and Rosenthal. "Surveys like this one provide us with information we need to spot trends and to evaluate the health services we provide," Hoyt noted.
"Our numbers are good," added Rosenthal, "but we still have a great deal to do."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2002 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
HOME : Science Prev issues | Contact us | Harvard News Office
Current Issue:
October 04, 2001
News
News, events, features
Science/Research
Latest scientific findings
Profiles
The people behind the university
Community
Harvard and neighbor communities
Sports
Scores, highlights, upcoming games
On Campus
Newsmakers, notes, students, police log
Arts
Museums, concerts, theater
Calendar
Two-week listing of upcoming events
HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES
Study finds Harvard students healthier than peers
By William J. Cromie
Gazette Staff
Students at Harvard drink more, smoke less, and have less sex than students at other colleges, according to the first nationwide survey of college lifestyles and health behaviors. Harvardians also are more depressed, get into fewer fights, and are slightly more likely to be homosexual or bisexual.
The American College Health Association did the survey by sending questionnaires to 28 schools last year; 16,024 undergraduate students responded including 904 from Harvard.
"We were pleased to see that we are no worse and slightly better than other schools," said David Rosenthal, director of Harvard's University Health Services (UHS).
Slightly more than 75 percent of Harvard students described their health as excellent or very good, compared with 61 percent of the national sample.
"Smoking is a problem," admitted Rosenthal. Although only 15.6 percent of Harvard students said they smoke, compared with 25.3 percent nationally, "I was surprised at the large number of our students who smoke," he said.
"We see smoking increasing as students move from their freshman to their senior year," noted Michael Hoyt, coordinator of health resources at UHS. "This is a huge issue because students are at the age where they're starting to form lifetime habits."
"Alcohol is also a big issue," Rosenthal said. Slightly more than 72 percent of Harvard students reported drinking alcohol in the 30 days before completing the questionnaire, compared with the national average of 68 percent.
"The thing that keeps me up at night is concern about students injuring themselves or others after drinking too much," Rosenthal noted.
About 8 percent of Harvard students reported driving after drinking. Fourteen percent admitted injuring themselves as a consequence of drinking, compared with 17 percent nationally. Two percent said they injured another person, compared with more than 4 percent nationally. At Harvard, 30 percent of the drinkers forgot where they were or what they did at times; the national average was 28 percent.
Alcohol use affected the academic performance of 5.5 percent of students at Harvard, versus 7.9 percent nationally, according to the survey.
Drinking and sex
Drinking that leads to unwanted sex is a problem on every campus. One percent of Harvard's female undergraduates reported use of force or threats of force to have sex, less than half the 2.3 percent national average.
At Harvard, 0.8 percent of the women reported they were raped, compared with 1.8 percent nationally. "The 0.8 percent amounts to 52 students," Hoyt pointed out. He noted that less than a half-dozen rapes were actually reported. "That is the kind of information we need in our efforts to get the number down to zero."
Thirty-nine percent of Harvard males and females said they had no sex partners within the past school year, compared with 29 percent of males and 27 percent of females nationally. Five percent of Harvard men and women reported having four or more partners in the past school year, compared with national numbers of 11 percent and 5 percent, respectively.
At Harvard, 2.6 percent of students describe themselves as gay or lesbian versus 1.4 percent nationally. For bisexuality, the numbers are 2.2 versus 1.5 percent. Some students said they were "not sure" of their sexual orientation - 1.7 percent at Harvard, 1.5 percent nationally.
Living away from home and meeting academic standards can be stressful for many students. Nationally, 23 percent reported they have been diagnosed with depression within the past year, as opposed to 34 percent at Harvard. Approximately 34 percent of the Harvardians are in therapy or taking medication for depression, versus about 19 percent nationally.
Rosenthal attributed the higher numbers of those in treatment to a Harvard outreach program begun last year. "We have the students watching out for each other," he noted. "The faculty - even dining-service workers - are alert for signs of depression. And we have increased the number and hours of availability of mental health professionals."
Rosenthal also expressed concern about diet and physical activity on campus. More than a quarter of Harvard students (29 percent of the males, 21 percent of the females) said they are overweight. Two percent checked "very overweight" on the questionnaire. Forty-two percent of Harvard students, and 50 percent of students nationally are exercising to lose weight; for dieting the numbers are 23 and 26 percent.
Harvard has been working to improve all its numbers, said Hoyt and Rosenthal. "Surveys like this one provide us with information we need to spot trends and to evaluate the health services we provide," Hoyt noted.
"Our numbers are good," added Rosenthal, "but we still have a great deal to do."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2002 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
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