Getting Through
College and Depression

Getting through college can be challenging. You will likely face tremendous pressures such as trying to get good grades, facing relationship issues, roommate challenges, disagreements with friends etc. It’s pretty hard not to get stressed. You may find that you begin sleeping less, eating poorly and paying less attention to your physical and mental health needs. When this happens you become far more likely to develop depression and anxiety. 

College Depression Can’t Be Trivialized

Depression is a real threat to the emotional health of college students who are working hard to achieve a life goal. According to Mayo Clinic Health System 44% of students reported experiencing symptoms of depression and 15% reported considering suicide in a 2021-2022 survey. These numbers are staggering. 

Depression is a serious medical condition that can impact you at any age. It is particularly important to pay attention to these symptoms if you are experiencing major life changes and stressors like going to college.  

College Depression: What is it?

Living away from your family and maybe on your own for the first time, you may experience loneliness. You are likely to fill the void with new relationships and work hard to fit in. As you advance through college, you will be faced with other emotional and nerve-wracking issues, such as academic pressures, concerns about money, as well as intimate relationship issues. All these stressors can combine and leave you feeling overwhelmed. If you are predisposed to depression, it can develop at this time when you are most vulnerable.

The more you know about depression, the sooner you can reach out for help! Symptoms of depression can include; 

  • Feeling sad or anxious most of the time
  • Avoiding or not enjoying things you used to enjoy
  • Irritability
  • Difficult sleeping or sleeping too much
  • Increased or decreased appetite with no known cause
  • Aches and pains without a known medical cause
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Fatigue
  • Excessive guilt
  • Feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness
  • Thoughts of harming yourself

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms it is important to reach out for help. Depression is treatable, counseling and medication management can help.  

Journeying Towards a Bright Future with Treatment

College is a major life transition. It can impact your life in a very significant way. Symptoms of depression can leave a dent in your person for life, but it doesn’t have to. Therapy and psychiatric medications are effective interventions in treating depression. 

Carolina Counseling Services in Fuquay-Varina, NC contracts with skilled licensed therapists and psychiatric professionals. Don’t ignore your depressive symptoms.Reach out to CCS today to get started!  

Providers are in network with most major insurances including Aetna, Aetna State Health Plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), Tricare, Medicaid and many more. 

Online appointments are also available allowing you to get quality mental health care from anywhere in North Carolina. This allows CCS to provide services not only to those in the Fuquay-Varina area but also surrounding areas like Garner, Clayton, Zebulon, Wendell and so many others!

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Jaime Johnson Fitzpatrick LCMHCS, LCAS is one of the Owners and Vice Presidents of Carolina Counseling Services. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist in the State of North Carolina as well as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in State of New York. Jaime is also certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and utilizes various other approaches in her practice.