Our quiet cry for help

College students are dying. A silent plague has been taking student lives for years, yet nobody talks about it. The plague? Depression. To save the lives of our youth, universities must raise awareness on depression and change the fact that many students feel alone in their struggles.

According to an American Psychological Association survey, one-third of college students experience some degree of depression. There are some who say depression isn’t a big deal, or that it doesn’t exist, but research conducted at Emory University begs to differ. Over 1,000 students commit suicide on college campuses each year.

For someone with depression, basic tasks can become burdens. Getting out of bed takes an inordinate amount of energy. Eating and drinking water turn into annoyances which apathy makes hard to overcome. For the most part, a depressed person feels hopelessly alone in their sadness, even though many of their peers endure the same struggles. I say this not as a bystander, but as someone who has dealt with depression for years.

Depression is a beast that many college students feel they face alone. A simple “how are you?” can show a student that someone has noticed them, that someone cares about them. While small deeds like asking a student if they’re okay may seem insignificant, they add up to giving students a sense of belonging in a community that cares about them. After all, college students are our future. Is our future not worth a little effort? ANIKA PARTLOW-LOYALL

Little Rock