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Antidepressant use on rise among college students
Mental illness in student population increases in recent decade; more students use campus mental health services
Aleks Cherednichenko
Issue date: 7/25/07 Section: News
A recent national survey published by the New England Journal of Medicine found that of 13,500 college students surveyed, almost 45 percent reported being so depressed that they had difficulty functioning, and 94 percent reported feeling overwhelmed by everything they had to do.
Some of the students affected by depression do meet the medical criteria for therapy with psychotropic medications like antidepressants. Many more, however, are simply experiencing the stress of college life and are at risk for misusing these drugs said Ellen Kaylow, director of Counseling and Psychological Services.
In 2006, the American College Health Association performed a survey at OSU. Out of 887 participants, 37 percent reported difficulty functioning due to depression within the past year, and 1.4 percent reported having attempted suicide due to depression.
According to data collected by CAPS, in 2006, 33 percent of the OSU student body population were taking antidepressants, compared to the 36 percent national average. In the 2005-06 year, nearly eight percent of OSU students went in for psychological counseling, 70 percent of which reported feeling depressed. According to Phil Histand, associate director of clinical services at SHS, it has been determined that 371 patients with a diagnosis of depression were present on campus for the 2006-07 fiscal year.
The rate at which antidepressants are prescribed by the Student Health Service, however, have decreased in the past three years. The total number of antidepressants prescribed by the SHS pharmacy - out of all drugs prescribed in total - in 2005 was seven percent, compared to the five percent in 2006 and four percent in 2007, said Vivian Nguyen, employee of the SHS pharmacy and a fourth year pharmacy student.
CAPS and the SHS Center are free resources to any enrolled student.
CAPS provides students with licensed clinical workers who provide brief counseling services, and referrals to psychologists or psychiatrists.
Some of the students affected by depression do meet the medical criteria for therapy with psychotropic medications like antidepressants. Many more, however, are simply experiencing the stress of college life and are at risk for misusing these drugs said Ellen Kaylow, director of Counseling and Psychological Services.
In 2006, the American College Health Association performed a survey at OSU. Out of 887 participants, 37 percent reported difficulty functioning due to depression within the past year, and 1.4 percent reported having attempted suicide due to depression.
According to data collected by CAPS, in 2006, 33 percent of the OSU student body population were taking antidepressants, compared to the 36 percent national average. In the 2005-06 year, nearly eight percent of OSU students went in for psychological counseling, 70 percent of which reported feeling depressed. According to Phil Histand, associate director of clinical services at SHS, it has been determined that 371 patients with a diagnosis of depression were present on campus for the 2006-07 fiscal year.
The rate at which antidepressants are prescribed by the Student Health Service, however, have decreased in the past three years. The total number of antidepressants prescribed by the SHS pharmacy - out of all drugs prescribed in total - in 2005 was seven percent, compared to the five percent in 2006 and four percent in 2007, said Vivian Nguyen, employee of the SHS pharmacy and a fourth year pharmacy student.
CAPS and the SHS Center are free resources to any enrolled student.
CAPS provides students with licensed clinical workers who provide brief counseling services, and referrals to psychologists or psychiatrists.
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