<p>Hi parents,
Enjoying a day of postng after really limiting my posting time for Lent!</p>
<p>First, let me say that I recognize depression is a serious problem and often requires professional help-- I’m not arguing that point at all. However, I’ve also noticed that the general gut reaction of many CCers is to tell any kid that displays the slightest discontentment with their social life, classes, etc., “You are depressed-- get help.” While I agree that some of these posters do sound like they MAY be clincially depressed and should probably look into therapy, it seems like sometimes ANY unhappiness is pathologized as depression and thus people ignore the idea that the school, major, etc., may be simply a bad fit-- I’ve even seen a parent suggest that because a student wasn’t happy with the social scene at a social the parent liked, they must be depressed! It strikes me as odd that a group of people that place so much emphasis on fit in the selection process, discard the concept of a bad fit as soon as the kid enters college.</p>
<p>Overpathologizing is better than underpathologizing.</p>
<p>If the student really is depressed, help is essential. If the student is not depressed but has other problems, seeking help is still not a bad idea. There are many kinds of counseling available on college campuses that are nowhere near as intense as real psychotherapy. It doesn’t hurt to take advantage of these services.</p>
<p>Many of us on CC would rather err in the direction of safety. It is virtually impossible for anyone (and particularly lay people) to diagnose a psychological condition over the internet, and in case the person seeking help is truly suffering and thinking dangerous/disturbing thoughts, I, for one, would like to have him/her seek immediate help, if only to rule out anything serious. Because we can’t make that determination with much accuracy, we “refer out,” so to speak. </p>
<p>In addition to what Marian and Berurah said, if someone is at a college and unhappy with every aspect of that school, then the student may very well be depressed. If a student were emotionally healthy and unhappy at a school, he or she would still be able to enjoy the company of classmates and try to get the most out out classes while intelligently searching for alternatives. If the student cannot identify specific aspects he’s unhappy with or is unhappy with everything, then there may be a problem. When healthy people are unhappy with their situations, they are still able to adjust and live reasonably well.</p>
<p>On the whole, I think cc parents suggest that depression might be an issue in pretty much the right instances. When posters are fairly strong in their statements of unhappiness, and add in a number of risk factors such as sleep disturbance, inability to function, etc.</p>
<p>I’m sure it is possible that some overreact. Or even that most or all overreact in some instances. It is also possible that the student poster over-aggrandizes his or her suffering.</p>
<p>But I agree that the mistake of missing a case of depression is more worrisome than the mistake of “over-diagnosing” it. Very often, students post with problems, and parents respond spot-on to the specific problem, rather than generalizing to a worry about depression - how to deal with a roommate problem, a study problem… But there are warning signals we pick up in some posts. And I’m glad we do. If we’re off base, no real harm done.</p>
I just don’t think you can be too careful.</p>