Introduction
Despite the intentions of people to control as many events and factors around them as possible, there are always situations when something goes wrong or, at least, not as it was planned. As a result, stress emerges, provoking new cases of depression and anxiety. For example, college students may feel depressed because of school problems, and young adults have to deal with work-related obligations.
Many young students are not aware of the roots of their psychological problems and continue suffering from depression or anxiety, which results in low productivity, poor achievements, and a decreased quality of life. Mental health awareness of young adults and college students must be recognized as a problem in a community to clarify what steps should be made and help the population improve their well-being.
Nature and Scope of the Problem
Depression and anxiety are common mental health disorders that are recognized around the whole world. More than 300 million people experience depression, which leads to disabilities, suicides, and other psychological traumas (World Health Organization). One of the most challenging characteristics of these disorders is that when symptoms are defined, it may take about ten years to be treated, and millions of people remain untreated at all (Lake and Turner). Depending on their age, gender, or social status, an individual is at risk of having depression or anxiety.
Depression or anxiety among young adults or college students has to be studied in order to introduce fast and effective treatment methods. The point is that suicide is one of the leading causes of death in people aged between 15 and 29 years (Lake and Turner). Social disturbance and anxiety may cause stress, which, in its turn, causes depression and increases the risk of suicide. Young adults have to deal with their financial problems, family responsibilities, and community obligations (Pedrelli et al. 504). College students want to combine their education and campus activities. However, low self-esteem, lack of optimism, and poor self-efficacy cause new stresses (Saleh et al.). Work-life imbalance provokes behavioral changes and multiples stresses that are hard to control.
Potential Effects of the Problem
The problem of poor mental health awareness among young adults and college students cannot be ignored in society. Depression can be ignored for a long period of time, promoting new health problems, unpredictable mood changes, and unstable human relationships. Being poorly recognized, depression may cause little optimism in young people and the inability to plan their future or discover new opportunities (Saleh et al.).
Poverty remains another significant problem in many countries, and college students cannot receive effective mental health treatment (Lake and Turner). Finally, even uncontrolled eating disorders and limited access to healthy food can contribute to depression and anxiety in young adults (Pedrelli et al., 505). This evidence proves the connection between the chosen mental health disorders and other factors that determine the quality of human life. In other words, depression and anxiety can either an outcome of problems or a reason for them. These disorders reduce the desire of people to communicate and cooperate at work and at home. A depressed individual demonstrates poor results in education or work performance. Finally, the desire to commit suicide at a young age may be caused by depression.
Solution of the Problem
Depression and anxiety are not new disorders, and it is normal for a person to expect to have access to a variety of treatment methods. Patients should take some tests, and doctors analyze their behaviors to clarify the category of depression, mild, moderate, or severe (World Health Organization). Preventive programs are available to people and include integrative treatment strategies along with alternative medicine (Lake and Turner).
Medications like inhibitors, antidepressants, and stabilizers are recommended, depending on the type of depressive disorder that is diagnosed. The presence of professional help, the creation of specific organizations, and the development of new support groups for college students and young adults signalize about the necessity to continue solving depression-related problems. Such steps as the identification of depression symptoms (reduced appetite, sleep disturbance, or loss of interests), types, and treatment cannot be ignored. These achievements prove that depression is treatable, and its complications and negative consequences can be controlled and avoided. It is also stated that depression is observed in millions of people, and much work has to be done to predict new cases and serious problems.
Conclusion
In general, anxiety and depression seem to be not dangerous to human health because these disorders usually change human behaviors and decisions. However, specific attention should be paid to the outcomes depression may have on people. In addition to suicidal intentions, patients may suffer from eating disorders. Young people and college students are not always able to recognize these mental health problems because of poor awareness. However, these populations play a critical role in social development. Until they suffer, concerns, problems, and doubts occur and introduce new challenges. Therefore, it is important to investigate these disorders in young people and help them get the necessary treatment at an early stage.
Works Cited
Lake, James, and Mason Spain Turner. “Urgent Need for Improved Mental Health Care and a More Collaborative Model of Care.” The Permanente Journal, vol. 21, 2017. Web.
Pedrelli, Paola, et al. “College Students: Mental Health Problems and Treatment Considerations.” Academic Psychiatry, vol. 39, no. 5, 2015, pp. 503-511.
Saleh, Dalia, et al. “Predictors of Stress in College Students.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 8, 2017. Web.
World Health Organization. “Depression.” World Health Organization. 2018. Web.