Depression In College Student During Pandemic Covid-19
By Ayu Cerita S.
As we know, the Covid-19 pandemic is a pandemic that has spread throughout the world and this has led to several countries holding massive lockdowns. Not only that, the economic system in several countries has also experienced a decline due to this pandemic, especially in Indonesia. In Indonesia, many people are unemployed as a result of being expelled from their places of work. This is because many workplaces have decided to close because they cannot pay taxes and also cannot provide salaries to employees due to lockdowns. Of course this makes many people experience stress and depression, most of them are workers either in offices or factories.
Not only that, all schools from elementary school to university must be closed so that students from elementary to tertiary education also experience stress and depression due to not being able to attend face-to-face classes as usual. In addition, there are several reasons that make them depressed, including they must also need good internet access so that they can continue to take lessons even though they study at home. But most of them live in remote villages so they cannot access the internet properly and decided to quit school. In addition, they are also depressed by the many tasks given by the teacher or lecturer so that they cannot have time to rest and there are also those who decide to commit suicide due to this. People with depression are not only older people but also young people especially college student.
Therefore as a student who was sad after see this phenomenon, I had an idea to write an article about depression itself. I do this so that everyone knows what depression is, what symptoms and causes are and how to prevent it. So that they will know how early the symptoms of depression are . so that they can cure this disorder properly. So what’s depression?
Depression is a mental health disorder caused by several causes and also it can affect the mood for the sufferer, such as crying without cause, not having the desire to do what he likes, and so on. Depression can also affect a person’s psychological and physical condition because he will feel stressed about something and if left alone, the most dangerous thing he might do is suicide.
According to WHO (World Health Organization) depression is a mental disorder that generally affects more than 264 million people worldwide and the symptoms of depression include a lack of interest in doing something, not sleeping well, and so on so that sufferers experience too much pressure so that if not handled properly it allows them to commit suicide therefore depression is not a disorder that can be ignored, so it needs special handling to treat it. Besides depression is a mental disorder that can affect a person physically and psychologically, depression also has general signs or characteristics that can indicate that a person is experiencing depression. The characteristics of depression are also divided into two characteristic, namely based on physical and psychological characteristics.
Here are the physical characteristics of depression:
1. Always feeling tired and powerless for no apparent reason. Everyone always tired after doing some strenuous activity (such as running, exercising, cleaning the garden, etc.), but for people with depression they will feel tired and powerless when they want to do something. For example, they will easily feel tired even though they are not doing an activity.
2. Experiencing dizziness and pain without an obvious cause. Usually people who experience dizziness and pain always have a cause, either from the illness or other factors that cause the person to experience dizziness or pain. Unlike people with depression, they will easily experience dizziness and pain without an obvious cause and this is because they think too much about things that can make them depressed so that it triggers dizziness and pain.
3. Decreased appetite or do not have the usual appetite. For people with depression, they will experience a decrease in appetite or even they don’t want to eat anymore. This is because they feel stressed about something and make them not want to do anything, including eating.
4. Have insomnia or always sleep a lot. Depressed people will experience insomnia so that it makes them always take sleeping pills so they can sleep well, but if they are always sleeping a lot, they will be awakened by someone either their family or friends so they don’t miss breakfast, lunch and dinner.
And these are the psychological characteristics of depression:
1. Always burdened with guilt and self-blame. People with depression will always be overwhelmed by guilt that will always haunt them so that this is what causes them to feel depressed even though the guilt would not exist if they did not do negative things. In addition, they will blame themselves for an event or problem even though it is not their fault so that in this case, the closest people are expected to always give positive things so that they are not depressed anymore.
2. It’s easy to cry and get angry for no apparent reason. Every depressed person, it will always be easy to cry and also get angry because their mood is not good and this makes them always shut themselves up so that their close people don’t get hurt when they suddenly get angry for no apparent reason and they will need the closest person to always be willing to hold her when they cry.
3. Not interested in doing things they loved before. Those who are depressed are most obvious when they are unwilling or uninterested in doing what they love. Even before experiencing depression, they like to do the things they like.
4. Had the idea of committing suicide. Every depressed person, they will think of committing suicide because they cannot stand this mental disorder so if you have family or friends who are experiencing depression, you must always be by their side and always encourage them so they don’t commit suicide.
In addition, depression also has 7 types that many people must know so that they can know each type of depression that has its own characteristics. Here are the 7 type of depression that you have to know.
1. Major Depression
Is the most common or most commonly diagnosed depression because many people have experienced this type of depression. The characteristics of this depression are experiencing sadness, hopelessness, and loneliness, which lasts for more than two weeks so that this depression is quite serious and if not treated immediately it will affect the quality of life of the sufferer. Besides that, other characteristics are no appetite, the body becomes weak and avoids socializing with many people. This depression is usually caused by genetic factors and traumatic factors
2. Dysthymia
Is a depression that lasts for 2 years or even more, but this depression has a milder symptom severity than other types of depression. Like major depression, this depression can also affect the quality of life of the sufferer such as lack of confidence, difficulty concentrating, and also hopelessness. This depression must be treated immediately so that the sufferer will not suffer from this disorder for too long.
3. Premenstrual Depression (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder / PMDD)
Is a depression that is quite serious because it will disrupt the emotional balance and behavior of the sufferer. This depression is common in women who are experiencing PMS and the symptoms include sadness, anxiety and others.
4. Bipolar disorder
Is a depression characterized by the presence of two opposing moods which are often referred to as mania and depression. Mania is characterized by the emergence of overflowing behaviors or emotions such as anger overflowing so that it cannot be controlled. While depression in bipolar disorder is more indicated by hopelessness, helplessness and so on. Usually the sufferer will shut himself in the room for a long time.
5. Postpartum depression
Is depression that often occurs in women and this depression appears several weeks or months after giving birth. These symptoms of depression have a profound impact on the health and bond between mother and baby and this occurs due to hormonal changes. When the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which were high enough during pregnancy, decrease drastically after giving birth.
6. Seasonal Affective Disorder
Is a depression that is associated with changing seasons, precisely changing times in the winter or rainy season, which tends to be shorter and with very little sunshine. This depression will generally get better on its own when the weather is brighter and warmer.
7. Situational Depression
Situational depression is a type of depression that is erratic. This condition is usually marked by the appearance of moody symptoms, changes in sleep patterns and eating patterns, when there is an event that gives a high enough mental stress. In simple terms, the symptoms of situational depression arise as a result of the brain’s response to stress. The causes can be different. It could be due to a positive incident such as marriage or adjusting to a new workplace, to loss of job, divorce, or separation from immediate family.
Of all the types of depression above, they are caused by internal and external factors. Internal factors include things like trauma, genetics, biology and so on. As for the external factors include the economy, bullying and so on. These are internal and external factors that are common causes of depression in everyone.
A. Internal Factors:
1. Genetics: Depression is caused by several factors, one of which is genetics. This is because one of the family members has experienced depression before so that it is very influential for other family members. In addition, if one of your family members suffers from depression, you should immediately be taken to a psychiatrist so that it does not make other family members depressed.
2. Biological: Like genetic factors, biological factors are almost the same as genetic factors but the difference is in biological factors, someone who suffers from depression is caused by several things such as having a serious illness, congenital hormones during menstruation, pregnancy or at the time after giving birth and also menopause (for women) and also due to dependence on certain drugs (for many people). So that’s what causes them to experience depression even though it’s not major depression.
3. Trauma: Trauma is a condition in which a person will experience the most severe and depressed him when he recalls an event from the past or present that is enough to frighten him. Not only that, trauma also makes someone who has it to be very careful in living their daily lives so that the trauma does not make them depressed again. Trauma can cause depression because people who are traumatized by something, they will continue to feel afraid to anxiety so that if this continues then they will easily get depressed.
4. Severe stress: Severe stress is a mental disorder caused by thinking about something whether it’s about work, heartbreak, and so on that can make a person overthink about it. Not only that, if stress is not handled immediately, it may lead to depression. Of course it is very dangerous so that immediate healing is needed if you have suffered from severe stress so that we will not suffer from depression.
B. External Factors:
1. Bullying: Bullying is an act where someone abuses their power or stre ngth to hurt other people who are considered weaker than them. Bullying can be verbal or written and for victims of bullying they will easily feel pressured by what they are experiencing. Not only that, they also cannot tell others, especially their parents, because they are threatened to be silent. This causes the victims of bullying to feel depressed to experience severe stress to severe depression. If they are not handled properly, they will decide to commit suicide because they are not strong enough to face the problems that happen to them.
2. Community life: Community life can make a person depressed because there is a problem that can’t be solved properly and that’s what makes them depressed. Not only that, they will also be more closed to others because of that.
3. Economy: The economy is a major factor that causes a person to be depressed, especially during the current pandemic. This is because many workplaces are closed so that many employees decide to leave their workplaces and they feel pressured because they cannot support their family as usual. So that they are easily depressed and also they will decide to commit suicide if indeed they are not strong in dealing with the problems that are happening.
Depression can attack anyone, especially college students. I say this because as a college student, I experienced this disorder when I was in the middle of the semester and it was because of the many assignments given by my lecturer during online classes. I am also interested in making a survey about this to my friends. From various surveys that I have made, my friends say that they have experienced symptoms of depression that are almost the same as me. They also said that in curing themselves from this disorder, they always try to think positively and always do fun activities such as dancing, cycling and so on.They also believe that if we do this, we will be able to avoid depression during the current pandemic. In addition, there are various ways that can be done to avoid depression for everyone especially for college students..
1. Avoid solitude by finding a good community.
2. Make life simpler by making short-term and long-term plans.
3. Exercise regularly, at least 3–5 times a week with a duration of about 30 minutes.
4. Eat a balanced diet and a regular diet.
5. Make life more relaxed and avoid stress.
6. Avoid consumption of alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs.
I think by doing this every day, we will not be easily depressed.
So from that, we know about the depression itself. Depression is a serious mental disorder and must be treated and cured properly and appropriately. Symptoms of depression also vary as well as the factors that cause depression itself. Depression can attack anyone, including students and in the current pandemic, many students are depressed due to the many assignments given by their lecturers so that they are forced to do the task quickly. Depression can be cured if it is accompanied by the right and proper way of healing. The way to avoid depression is to think positively and do positive things so that we can enjoy our life more without having to worry about things that can make us depressed. We can also use our time to do positive things well.
That’s from me, I hope you can enjoy reading this article. Thank you
https://www.who.int/health-topics/depression#tab=tab_1
https://www.healthline.com/health/depression
https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/depression-types
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/depression
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8933
https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/how-to-fight-depression
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/six-common-depression-types
