Depression screenings set for Oct. 2 – 6
The NDSU Counseling Center, in conjunction with schools around the nation, is holding a free week of depression screening from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Oct. 2 – 6 in Ceres 212.
With nearly 17 million people suffering from depression annually, it is important for college students to have the opportunity to get screened, Marlys Borkhuis, assistant director of the Counseling Center, said.
Students participating in the screening can either call for an appointment or walk in for a screening on a first-come first-serve basis.
The screening begins with a questionnaire to assess the level of depression, followed by a short video about clinical depression.
In addition, students will have a short interview with a person who will evaluate their assessment.
If students aren’t depressed, at the very least, education is important, Borkhuis said, because knowing the symptoms will help students get treated sooner if they become depressed in the future.
If a student is depressed, they will be recommended to take part in counseling or be sent to Student Health Services for further evaluation.
“ They are all suggestions — people can take them and do with them what they like,” Borkhuis said.
Many students may feel they are alone in having depression, but Borkhuis said it is “the number one thing we see here at our center, and apparently it’s the number one thing they see at Student Health as well.”
College students are at a higher risk for depression because of extreme stress over a long period of time and lack of sleep.
Dealing with depression as a college student is difficult because it affects concentration levels, eating habits and can be detrimental to grades.
“ I think students push themselves so hard; they’re taking a full load of credits, they’re working a job, they’re trying to have a life and it’s a lot,” Borkhuis said.
In some cases, people with a family history of depression are susceptible to it, even though circumstances otherwise wouldn’t cause depression, Borkhuis said.
What many people don’t know is depression is one of the most treatable health issues, with 80 percent of people taking medication feeling relief from their symptoms after as little as two weeks, Borkhuis said.
Last year, around 25 students came in for the screening, Borkhuis said, and many more did the screening on the Counseling Center’s Web site, www.ndsu.edu/counseling.
For more information on the screening dates and times visit the Web site or call the Counseling Center at 231- 7671.