Depression Haunts One in Three Middlebury Students

Author: Megan Michelson Features Editor

By the time a senior class graduates from Middlebury College, 33 percent to 40 percent of the class have visited the Center for Counseling and Human Relations for personal issues or problems at some point during their four years on campus. Students seek confidential guidance and counseling for a variety of reasons, a prevalent one being mild to severe cases of depression. Why on such a seemingly happy college campus such as Middlebury are there so many students with underlying feelings of unhappiness that often lead to serious cases of depression? A visitor would have no reason to assume that Middlebury, along with most other college campuses worldwide, is a breeding ground for depression among some apparently cheerful students.

According to Gary Margolis, director of the Center for Counseling and Human Relations, it is not the college environment that promotes unhappy emotions, but rather the implications associated with being 18 to 22 years of age. Students during those rather tumultuous years often question their purposes in life, their identity and their long-term goals and as a result end up feeling isolated and depressed. "Being 18 to 22 leaves students open to strong feelings of depression, unhappiness and loneliness," explained Margolis. It is during this time of developmental changes in a person's life that one is forced to hold skepticism regarding his or her ultimate meaning in life. "Depression, frustration and disappointment are all feelings that can be felt at any time throughout college when students question what it is that they are doing," Margolis said.

One may be led to believe that being in college surrounded by a peer group with similar interests could help improve depression or feelings of separation; however, the opposite is often the case. "Having a community of peers in which people have similar feelings can often be overwhelming for students, and if others do not feel the same way, it could encourage feelings of isolation," commented Margolis. Students dealing with body issues or low self-esteem can suffer more due to the college environment while constantly comparing themselves to other students. Middlebury students tend to be perfectionists, and by competing with others, this can lead to feelings of depression.

The developmental changes that students go through, which Margolis calls "natural and simultaneously difficult," can vary depending on the class or age of the student. First-year students tend to deal with issues regarding the adjustment to college life and the detachment from home, family and high school friends. "First-year students begin to let go of and exchange major anchors of their lives … for only a fantasy of what they would like to be," writes Margolis in his book entitled "College Psychotherapy." Detached from everything that was previously familiar to them, first-year students often struggle with life changes all on their own. "What typifies freshmen in turmoil is their difficulty in coping, in applying strategies that have worked for them in the past or in inventing new ones," writes Margolis.

Sophomore students often go through a period Margolis calls "sophomore identity crisis," that includes painful and uncomfortable feelings associated with a questioning of one's goals and identity. "Returning to college for the second year, some sophomores feel overwhelmed by the three year landscape of routine they see stretched out in front of them. Excitement gives way to boredom; challenges are not as thoroughly built into their role as they were during freshmen year," Margolis writes. Many sophomores may seek immediate resolution to their pain and insist upon sudden changes such as dropping a course, switching roommates or leaving college.

Although Margolis claims that these can be solutions to unsettling emotions, they should be choices made over a period of time, as opposed to sudden reactions to moments of discomfort.

Juniors also face times of emotional upset typically related to risks regarding academic, social or romantic commitments. "[Juniors] can allow themselves to think and feel more independently, to risk rejection and confirmation and as graduation lurks within the upcoming year, to take more personal responsibility. Although intimacy, spirituality and vocational choice can be issues for students during any of their four years, they seem particularly pertinent in the context of junior year," Margolis explains in his book.

Loss of intimate relationships, or break-ups, is a common cause of emotional distress for college students of all ages, and Margolis categorizes this a situational change that causes anxiety and discomfort. "Students come to talk with us about anything and everything related to human beings, but relationship problems are the number one source of distress," said Margolis.

Seniors deal with depression related to yet another transitional time in a person's life, the conclusion of college and the beginning of adulthood. "Students ending their undergraduate cycle again face the developmental opportunity of completion and separation, of continuing their movement toward autonomy and chosen dependencies," Margolis writes.

Depression is evenly distributed among all four classes, but female students tend to experience more symptoms than male students. Fortunately for Middlebury students, help and counseling are readily available. "Students have an extended group of resources including the commons system, resident advisors, commons deans, chaplains and the Counseling service and the Parton Health Center," commented Margolis.

In addition, friends can help students suffering from depression by recognizing symptoms of the condition. These include difficulty sleeping, over-sleeping, a change in appetite or weight, difficulty concentrating or frequent changes in mood. "The opposite of depression is expression. Students tend to withdraw from friends when they need to connect and talk with people they trust," said Margolis.