Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in College Students
Virginia Commonwealth University
Introduction
Stress anxiety and depression is on the rise in college students. It is said that students who work over 30 hours a week have a strain on their health due to their busy schedules. Often students are sacrificing sleep just to get everything done, and that has an effect on their health. Other factors that are inflicting stress anxiety and depression are academic, financial and self-imposed.
Stress
Many college students experience stress due to higher academic demands, being in a new environment and even the thoughts of preparing for life after college. There are a large number of things that cause students to become stressed, but the important thing is that they learn to cope with it. Stress is defined as the body’s reaction to any change that requires physical, mental, or emotional adjustment or response. In order to reduce stress levels it’s important to exercise regularly, eat well balanced meals, and get at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
Signs of stress
* Irritability
* Increased heart rate
* Changes in appetite or sleep pattern
* Headaches
* Pain in neck and/or Lower back
Anxiety
Anxiety is the most commonly diagnosed mental illness in children and teens. It causes long lasting and exaggerated worry and tension that usually have no sufficient cause. Those diagnosed with anxiety often have excessive worry about everyday issues such as work, money, family and with these issues they often anticipate disaster.
Common symptoms of Anxiety
* Trembling
* Twitching
* Muscle tension
* Nausea
* Hot flashes
* Lightheadedness and/or difficulty breathing
Depression
When a person is depressed they often feel discouraged, sad, hopeless, unmotivated, and disinterested in life in general. In a 2009 survey the American College Health Association reported that nearly 30 percent of college students feel “so depressed...