One of the most common causes of depression is change or stress. That is exactly what young "adults," if we even wanna call ourselves that, face when August rolls around. Often times collegians are thrown into a completely new city, state, or environment to theoretically fin for themselves. Sure college is likely not as brutal as the real world, but it is still an immense life shift and not everyone handles it with ease.
Moving from the safety of home, family, and friends to a new world where the responsibility is entirely up to you can be difficult. It can range from paying bills to locating the toilet paper in a completely different Wal-Mart and everything in between. So with all the stress of this switch teenagers make every year, it is important to focus on your mental health. Especially those of your friends, because your college friends can really become your second family. It is important because your parents and teachers are no longer here to check in on you and notice if you're crying in class or your grades are slipping.
Often times the ones who may be the most stressed and or depressed are the ones who show it the least.
Typically people who are experiencing signs of depression do not just come out and yell from the rooftops that they need help. That help does not always mean they need to sob in your arms, sometimes it means the most just to sit with someone or ask "How are you doing?" Keep a close eye on your friends in college and notice if they are distancing themselves, not laughing like they used to, isolating themselves, or being slightly more irritable. It may come across as your roommate or friend is just being snobby or lame for not wanting to go out, but it could be something much deeper than that.
Another thing that can happen to students in college can be sudden weight loss or gain. It is a common knowledge that people tend to gain a few pounds from trading in sports for the dining hall, but if something seems way off, pay attention to it. Weight is another key symptom of depression, so if they are always saying things like "I need to stop eating" consider talking to them if you notice them actually doing that.
Depression can really affect people and many times they want to talk about it, but are simply scared or cannot find the words. Even the happiest of people still get sad and stressed. Everyone often pays attention to the people who are consistently sad, but it can be the ones who are there for others most, who experience unseen pain. The moral of the story is that college is a rough time on anyone and everyone, and that as friends in college it is really up to you to make sure your other friends are hanging in there.
