Ailing Economy Affecting Students with Depression

By Christina Positano

Four million people are receiving unemployment benefits, the most in 26 years.

The United States is in a recession, and has been since last December, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Like a tidal wave, bad news about the state of the economy is rushing over America, and some of the effects are reaching students at Stony Brook University who have depression.

In the past few months, housing foreclosures and the fallout from sub-prime mortgage lending caused financial institutions to fold, leaving many Americans out of work, while at the same time they are asked to pick up the tab on a $700 billion bailout bill to rescue the faltering companies.

At a depression screening on Oct. 29, 24 out of 56 students said the future of the economy is adding to their stress, according to the Center for Prevention and Outreach (CPO) at Stony Brook University, a counseling center that helps students who have problems with substance abuse, sexual assault, depression or suicidal thoughts.

Depression, a form of mental illness, affects one out of every four adults by the age of 24, according to the American Psychiatric Association statistics on college mental health. At Stony Brook University, 13 percent of the student body reported being diagnosed with depression according to a 2007 American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment survey.

Although the state of the economy would most likely not be the cause of depression for students, it could be a contributing factor for those who already are depressed, said Kate Valerio, a health educator for the CPO for Prevention and Outreach.

The stress of a lagging economy led some students to comment on Oct. 29 that they are thinking twice about their future and the job market, Valerio said. As a result, the CPO is teaming up with the Career Center to provide specialized career advising to meet the needs of these students.

And with fewer jobs open, having depression while trying to get a job is a hurdle to jump.

Even in good times, “the unemployment rate for people with depression is huge,” said Riki Rosenberg, program manager of Abilities, Inc., a job assistance program run through the state-funded Vocational and Education Services for Individuals with Disabilities. “The economy is another barrier for people with depression, especially if they may have a gap in their employment history."

The overall unemployment rate for people with serious mental illness is 90 percent, according to the United States Department of Health. Some of these illnesses include debilitating forms of Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and chronic depression.

But for the people living with depression who do have jobs, the stress of work can become overwhelming. Rosenberg remembers an accountant she assisted who could not handle his workload. Abilities Inc. moved him into a less stressful job, entering information into ledgers as an accounts-payable clerk. This channeled his background in numbers into a position that was a better fit.

“We try to build on the skills a person already has,” Rosenberg said. The program acts as “a stepping stone,” she added.

For others with depression, the future of healthcare coverage weighs heavily on their minds. Krystan Lenhard, a student who has sought help for depression, said that the economic situation and the ensuing affect on healthcare coverage concerns her.

“I’m kind of afraid the government will takeover to group people in the same groups,” she said.

Lenhard explained that she is concerned the government might group people with different medical needs in the same group. For example, people who have cerebral palsy would receive the same coverage as someone who had depression. If the government decides to socialize or group healthcare, Lenhard said some people may not receive the proper care.

Lenhard’s relatives have Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome and depression, and she said private health care might be better because it leaves the choice of plans to families—not the government.

“My mother knows their needs better than anyone else,” Lenhard said.

Meeting the needs of people with depression is something Andrew Solomon, author of “The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression,” and who once had a crippling depression, spoke about on Oct. 28 at the tenth annual George Goodman Memorial Symposium. It is named after Stony Brook’s former professor of ophthalmology.

Depression, “is like feeling you are on a high place before you hit the ground,” Solomon said. “It is an appalling feeling.”

Even more appalling to Solomon is the healthcare coverage of those with mental illnesses. Recently, his health insurance company changed and he received “astronomical and terrifying” bills for the medications he needs to live a stable life.

“I have been fighting the insurance companies,” Solomon said.
But some people don’t have coverage because they cannot buy it. “It is a disaster, the number of people who don’t have care,” Solomon said.
Forty-seven million Americans lacked health insurance in 2005, according to the latest statistics from the National Coalition on Health Care. The current economic climate has led some patients to forgo their therapy sessions. “I was seeing a woman who had depression and she stopped coming to me because she said she couldn’t afford the $15 co-pay,” said Penny Wilbur-Harris, a clinical psychologist who has a private practice. “Money is tight.”

Wilbur-Harris said, for patients who decide to seek therapy, there should be no limit on the amount of coverage.
CPO intends to help students get the assistance they need through the anonymous and biweekly depression screenings held in the Student Union. The screening form asks questions like, “Over the past few two weeks, how often have you been feeling low in energy?’ “…been blaming yourself for things?” “….thought about or wanted to commit suicide?”
Answers to each question are given a point-value from zero to three. If a student receives a score of 9 or more, indicating possible depression, he or she is referred to a health educator or a psychotherapist on campus.
The chance for students to engage in conversation about depression is a big deal for one student who had the illness.

“The fact that we can talk about it and have this conversation openly is huge,” said a female student who wished to remain anonymous. “It makes people feel like there are other people going through this just like them.”

Last April, to raise awareness about the signs of depression, Active Minds, a club that aims to educate students about mental illness, CPO and the Commuter Students Association co-sponsored a “Guitar Hero Tournament,” Valerio said. While students jammed away on their plastic Fender guitars, staffers distributed information about depression.

Nearly 200 students turned out for the event, Alex Imperato, peer educator for CPO, said.

Gauging student needs is key, especially when the economic climate is affecting Americans and students here at Stony Brook University.
“CPO is on the front lines of seeing what students need,” said Jerrold Stein, dean of students. The economic issue “is hitting us at home and is of importance to the student body.”

Lenhard hopes that her peers can become more aware of those around them and the silent struggles they may be facing. “People don’t look around to check on their friends sometimes,” she said. “Go into their rooms and find out if they haven’t gotten out of bed in three days.”

Simple acts of concern can help those who have depression, Lenhard said.

“Stony Brook students need to be more aware.”