Mental Health Disorders in Students

1. MENTAL
HEALTH
DISORDERS
IN STUDENTSMENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS AND THEIR
PREVALENCE IN STUDENTS TODAY

2. One in five students has a diagnosable mental illness. Only about
40% of students will seek help for these issues.1

3. Depression and anxiety have been around since 5th Century B.C.2

4. Depression and anxiety are diseases with a biological basis along
with psychological and social implications.3

5. Mental illnesses can also be passed down by our parents. The
genes we inherit from them determine our gender, hair color, eye
color, height and even diseases that we are more prone to. 4

6. Whether physical, sexual or emotional, abuse can be a large
factor in the source of depression or anxiety. The most common
causes are abuse, conflict, medication, death or loss, major
events, person problems and other illnesses.5

7. Feelings of sadness, feeling anxious and lack of motivation are
very common for everyone from time to time. It becomes an issue
when these feelings are prolonged and have caused a change in
your life. 6

8. Common symptoms of depression and anxiety are lack of energy,
specifically in the morning, significant weight loss or weight gain,
insomnia, lack of interest, constant feelings of worthlessness and
guilt, anxious feelings, sweaty hands, heart palpitations, nausea
and muscle tension.6

9. Approximately 5.5% of students with a mental illness have
practiced self-harm.7

10. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among students.8

11. Diet and exercise can easily be utilized to increase your mental state.

12. Being in nature can also decrease stress and positively impact
your mood.

13. Simply doing more of the things you love can really decrease
your chance for illness. Listening to your favorite song while
feeling sad or anxious can immediately release all of the negative
feelings you have been building up.

14. We need to start working together to stop the demise of the
mental health of students. The youth of today are the future and
must be taught that they can do hard things and are capable of
being strong, independent and worthwhile people.

15. WORKS CITED
1"TOP 5 MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES FACING COLLEGE STUDENTS." BEST
COLLEGES. N.P., N.D. WEB. 18
MAY 2016. <HTTP://WWW.BESTCOLLEGES.COM/RESOURCES/TOP -5-MENTAL-HEALTH-
PROBLEMS-FACING-COLLEGE-STUDENTS/>.
2"HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDINGS OF DEPRESSION." MENTAL HELP HISTORICAL
UNDERSTANDINGS OF
DEPRESSION COMMENTS. N.P., N.D. WEB. 18 MAY 2016.
<HTTPS://WWW.MENTALHELP.NET/ARTICLES/HISTORICAL -UNDERSTANDINGS-OF-
DEPRESSION/>.
3"ANXIETY AND THE BRAIN: AN INTRODUCTION." ANXIETY AND THE BRAIN: AN
INTRODUCTION. N.P., N.D.
WEB. 18 MAY 2016. <HTTP://WWW.CALMCLINIC.COM/ANXIETY/ANXIETY-BRAIN>.
4"MAJOR DEPRESSION AND GENETICS." GENRED. N.P., N.D. WEB. 19 MAY 2016.
5"CAUSES OF DEPRESSION: GENETICS, ILLNESS, ABUSE, AND MORE." WEBMD.
WEBMD, N.D. WEB. 19
MAY 2016.
6"DEPRESSION (MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER)." DEPRESSION (MAJOR DEPRESSION)
SYMPTOMS. N.P., N.D.
WEB. 19 MAY 2016.
7"TEENS AND SUICIDE." PSYCHOLOGY TODAY. N.P., N.D. WEB. 19 MAY 2016.
8"TEEN SUICIDES STATISTICS - YELLO DYNO." TEEN SUICIDES STATISTICS - YELLO
DYNO. N.P., N.D. WEB. 19
MAY 2016.