Students about depression

Depression is also a disease of young people:

  • According to the estimates of physicians, there are from 1 million 200 thousand to 1 million to 500 thousand adult Poles affected by depressive disorders. This problem is increasingly affecting young people, including students. It is estimated that in Poland there are 2% of children and 4% of young people suffering from depression who need treatment.
  • Recent research by scientists from the Faculty of Psychiatry at the Medical University in Wroc艂aw showed that students have very serious mental problems. About 40% of respondents said they had suffered from anxiety and mood disorders (study conducted on a group of 378 students from nine public universities in Wroc艂aw).
  • According to a study conducted by the Faculty of Psychiatry at the Medical University in Wroc艂aw, one in twenty respondents suffers from deep depression, and four in ten respondents admit to anxiety and mood disorders.
  • More and more young people are visiting psychological counseling centers. Most often they complain about depressive disorders. Akademickie Centrum Psychoterapii i Rozwoju SWPS (the SWPS University Psychotherapy and Development Center) reports, that within the last three years the age of people who visit counseling centers has decreased significantly. More than 60% of patients are less than 26 years old.
  • In Germany, during the last four years the amount of drugs prescribed to students to treat mental problems has increased by 54%. Mental illness medicines prescribed to students constitute more than one fifth of all prescribed medication.
  • 44% of U.S. students report to the GP with symptoms of depression.
  • Stereotypes are one of the biggest barriers fro young people to seek the help they need.
  • Among teenagers, depression occurs at a time of making their own decisions.
  • Depression in the time of adolescence often co-occurs with other disorders such as anxiety, disruptive behavior, eating disorders or substance abuse. It can also lead to an increased risk of suicide.
  • Teens diagnosed with Depression are five times more likely to attempt suicide than adults.