by Chris Schaffer

Created on: February 01, 2009

Depression is a difficult subject in general. Some aspects of college life can also complicate the treatment of depression.

The social world of college tends to be much more fluid than the times that come before and after. Relationships can spark up and end over a weekend, burn for two years and then go up in smoke. Friends come and go with the same regularity as your class schedule. Especially in the first two years of college; this sort of frequent social change can be very stressful for anyone. Fortunately even the most socially fluid members of the student body tend to settle into a regular social group and relationship pattern as they mature into a degree program. You gain a consistent set of peers and social connections.

Simply talking to a counselor about these kinds of problems can be the trick to curing them. A frequent and stable point of contact can make the world of difference between feeling lost in the shuffle and knowing that the tornado of changing connections is not strange, can be controlled, and will settle down over time. Counselors and other staff on campus can also help guide you to student groups that can help you get that sense of belonging that might be missing early in a college career.

College is also the first time most people experience that feeling of being on their own. In a sense this is true, many students are far away from family, friends, and old social networks. I personally went through a great deal of this my first year. All the old fall backs disappear. There are two problems that can occur in this newfound isolation and independence. You may fall into a reciprocating depression where depression caused by isolation leads to further isolation, or an existing biological condition may first truly become noticed.

Falling into the cycle of depression and isolation is vicious. However, this is a well known, researched, and understood problem because it is also common to all depressed individuals. Withdrawing from the social world is a common symptom in depressed persons, and that isolation does nothing to alleviate depression and frequently worsens it very quickly. In this situation professional help is the best option. Often anti-depressants can be prescribed for short durations while focused therapy concentrates on returning to the social world and establishing a positive social network. In other words, professionals are very good at administering a powerful push in the right direction so that you can return to a normal social

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