The semester at my institution just ended. Commencement was last week. The past few weeks were a very intense time period as I hastily tried to juggle many things — grading essays, reading graduate theses, conducting independent studies and other academic tasks. Indeed, I felt like I was running ragged. My coffee consumption increased dramatically. Now, for the moment, I can breathe a little easier. Thank goodness.
Truth be told, the final weeks of a semester (or quarter) depending on the sort of academic institution where one works, can be a frantic and harrowing time for individuals, students, professors and administrators alike. This fact in and of itself is nothing new. That being said, I was slapped into a degree of mental soberness last fall after speaking with a few students who informed me that they had been and were suffering from an acute level of anxiety and depression. In fact, a couple of stories were so riveting that I almost became overwhelmed just listening. In fact, I encouraged and arranged for two of these students to seek personal help.
The fact is that more than a few college students suffer from anxiety and depression. In a 2012 column written by Michael Kerr and confirmed by Dr. George Krudk reported the following statistics:
· One out of every four college students suffers from a form of mental illness, including depression;
· 44 percent of American college students report having symptoms of depression;
· 75 percent of college students do not seek help for mental health problems;
· Suicide is the third leading cause of death among college students;
