Real Issues:

                     DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

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Depression and Anxiety are common problems amongst students today; a recent study conducted by the World Health Organisation Shows that an approximate of one million people dies from suicide every year and it is estimated that by 2020 those figures would have risen to 1.53 million deaths per year worldwide. Another study conducted by the South African Depression and Anxiety Group shows that on average, suicide accounts for 9.5 percent of non-natural deaths in young people particularly age between 18 – 24, and 11 percent in adults.

According to Ms Leila Abdool Gafoor an educational psychologist at the Psychologist Educational Services Centre for Psychological Services and Career Development (PsyCaD), there are many contributing stressors to depression and anxiety. Ms Abdool Gafoor suggests that some of the contributing factors are the pressures relative to varsity life, and these could include the many significant transitions one has to face when embarking on varsity life, (My doctor told me that it can also be genetic), however, Such stressors can include academic work load, social dilemmas and being exposed to a different environment. If students feel that they are inadequate or feel that cannot deal with all the pressures that come university, they then can become susceptible to depression and anxiety disorders. However, Ms Abdool Gafoor adamantly states that there a huge differences between Depression and “just feeling down and lonely”, she suggests that students often tend to mistake to two from one another. Ms Abdool Gafoor says that depression is far more severe and serious than “just feeling blue” as it is a mental disorder that can lead to fatality; suicide.

Ms Abdool Gafoor does however suggest that if a student is emotionally ill to the extend whereby they feel like they cannot cope with everyday life they can contact the PsyCaD crisis line to get some professional advice and make an appointment with an educational psychologist at the PsyCad department whereby your problem will be dealt with according to the diagnosis made by the psychologists. Whether you’re depressed, anxious or “just feeling blue” PsyCaD is there to attend to your psychological needs.

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