Effects of anxiety and depression on college students

Effects of anxiety and depression on college students  

Have you ever found yourself panicking more than usual when you have to turn in a very important homework assignment, hit midterms or finals week, or are waiting for your professor to upload your exam scores? if so, you're not alone. Based on research done at Penn State, "the study had found that anxiety had surpassed depression as the leading mental health issue facing college students".  This means that anxiety is roaming around campus by more and more college students everyday and this can cause a huge drop in academic success. That same study found that "21.9 percent of students said that within the last 12 months, anxiety affected their academic performance, defined as receiving a lower grade on an exam or important project, receiving an incomplete, or dropping a course". Anxiety can come in many forms and can cause a lot of mental damage to college students. Many college students find themselves with lower grades than usual, find themselves dropping out of classes, or even dropping out of college because they cannot juggle between work, school, and personal lives. However, there are things individuals can do to relieve some stress and reduce getting anxiety. According to LearnPsychology, students can "survive stress and anxiety in college  and beyond by getting plenty of sleep, thinking positive, having a stress outlet, engaging in a relaxation technique, and talking to someone". there are many things college students can do on campus as well to help relieve their anxiety. For instance, taking a walk around campus, taking a yoga class, or exercising more often, and finding someone to talk to. Students should find resources provided by the school campus that provide counseling services that target issues related to anxiety.   

Works cited 

Brown, J. (n.d.). Anxiety: The Most Common Mental Health Diagnosis in College Students | BU Today | Boston University. Retrieved April 04, 2018, from http://www.bu.edu/today/2016/college-students-anxiety-and-depression/ 

Student Stress & Anxiety Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2018, from https://www.learnpsychology.org/student-stress-anxiety-guide/ 

Reasons behind my decision to chose Anxiety 

 One of the main reasons why I chose the topic on Anxiety as a civic engagement issue is because it is something that hits close to home. Personally, I suffer from anxiety and some form of depression. Having to juggle between managing to get good grades at school, working a full time job, and having time for a personal life can sometimes become very stressful. This spring semester will be my second semester attending CSULA and so far my anxiety has peaked through the roof. Constantly feeling pressured to get high scores, pass courses with straight A's, and keep a good GPA can cause individuals just like me to lose their mind. One of the main things that I feel that peaks my anxiety is test taking. Although I study for exams weeks prior to test day, I can't help but feel so much stress and fear of failure. Aside from affecting my school life, Anxiety also manages to affect my personal life by disrupting my sleeping schedule. I am become more aware of the student health services provided by CSULA to help me alleviate some of my stress.  

College students who have suffered from Anxiety 

Janete Flores 

"Working, attending school full time and being a parent is a large load itself. The stress that comes with having to keep up with homework assignments, quizzes, and exams has definitely triggered some anxiety during my years in college. I feel like this semester more than anything I have had anxiety multiple times due to feeling overwhelmed with all the work I have to complete. There have been a few times that I have anxiety before entering one of my classes. The constant feeling of feeling irritable and having racing thoughts about the class itself make it difficult for me to focus once lecture begins. For the most part I am able to control my anxiety and move on but there are times when I have poor concentration and worry excessively. Being that petitioning for graduation is around the corner, I have to keep telling myself that I will be successful and just need to continue working hard on achieving my goal. Anxiety presents itself as a road block but one must find the confidence that is needed to surpass it"

Juan Aguirre

"anxiety affects me mentally especially during working hours at work.  When the stress levels are through the roof I tend to feel like i'm running like a chicken with it's head cut off. I lose patience with my employees when they have a huge amount of questions. During crunch time at work, the only way to block my anxiety is taking long walks through the warehouse building and drinking water"

Adalberto Ponce

"Hello, my name is Albert Ponce and I have minor anxiety attacks. Its effects with school vary depending on how severe the attack is. When I get a minor attack I am able to control it and cancel it out very well. It takes a while but eventually I am able to regain control. The times I do get a severe attack it is much harder for me to control it. I usually just 'ride it out' hoping no one happens to notice.Physically, I begin to fidget with my right hand and soon after my arm begins to shake and I become lost in thought. Mentally, my mind is trying to figure out how to respond. My body begins to get very hot and my senses become sensitive. Sometimes I get tunnel vision and shortness of breath. The longest I have lasted with an anxiety attack was approximately 2.5 hours; the whole time I was in class. I disliked having to step out of class because I began to notice the professor becoming upset at the fact that I kept walking out. Once class ended, I approached the professor and explained to her what had been happening and she was very understanding"  

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