CAPS can help students with depression

Linda Rios/Contributing Writer

Every year, incoming college students are warned about depression. Though they are never told the different ways there are to deal with it and feel better.

I was given this advice a long time ago, even before it was my turn to apply for colleges; little did I know that I would end up being a victim of this disorder.

In order to understand what goes on while someone is in a depressive state, we must first know what depression is.

According to the National Institute of Health, depression is a mental state in which the individual feels down. Their activities can be affected in several ways, from change in their behavior to lack of food consumption or eating more than usual. Depression can even make it difficult to get out of bed for several days at a time.

At the same time, through several studies that were carried out throughout the years, it has been proven that if a person moves to another state when going to college, or even moving away from home and living at the university’s dormitories, the individual is more prone to depression.

Healthline.com shares how the lack of sleep combined with a lack of exercise and poor eating habits are the perfect recipe  for depression.

From a personal experience, suffering from depression is sometimes unbearable. I had someone pass away just before I began my first semester at the university- and as a result- I wasn’t myself when my college career began.

From going to class and being physically present but not mentally there to not being able to control one’s emotions and breaking down unexpectedly, I can confirm that depression is not something fun to have while being a college student.

Healthline also shared how 75 percent of college students who are suffering from depression do not seek help, but rather attempt to ride it out themselves because they are afraid of what others might think.

Being able to speak up and express what you are feeling to someone is a hard thing to do, more so if you don’t accept that you might be going through something that might harm you in the future.

The fact that there are people who specialize in these sort of situations, specially on campus, is something that should be taken as an advantage.

CAPS is a great organization that we are lucky to have on campus. Not too many people use this wonderful resource.

By interviewing some students, I learned that most of them think the same way I do about CAPS.

Camila Madera, a student pursuing engineering, recognizes the benefits students can receive by attending CAPS.

“CAPS has individuals that sit down and talk to you as well as providing you with medication if needed,” Madera told FIU Student Media. “Talking to someone, I let it out of my system and feel better about my situation.”

“I didn’t know what CAPS was, being a freshman and all, but they explained what it does when attending orientation,” Daniela Zapata, a student studying biology, said.

I myself have been hesitant to step in one of their offices because of bad experiences with counseling I’ve had in the past.

Going to CAPS will do those suffering from mental illness or difficult times a great deal of good. It’s a great aid to have.

Suffering from depression or other mental disorders is not something that must be taken lightly. Being an FIU student comes with many resources to take advantage of, which we pay for. CAPS allows us to do something about mental health rather than allowing the problem to get out of hand.

There is no reason to not get help when it is needed, especially with the abundance of information making it accessible to all students. There is no excuse to sit and do nothing about your own mental care.

 

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of FIU Student Media Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

 

Image by Lushlifegarden.com