Taking Depression On

摘要

On the long list of worries Mom and Dad have when a child goes to college—grades, homesickness, partying—there's a new issue: the apparent rise in mental illness on campus. More than 1,100 college students commit suicide each year, according to estimates by mental-health groups. And even when students aren't in acute distress, they're suffering in surprisingly large numbers. In a 2003 survey by the American College Health Association, more than 40 percent of students reported feeling "so depressed, it was difficult to function" at least once during the year; 30 percent said they were suffering from an anxiety disorder or depression.