{"id":98072,"date":"2019-04-25T11:47:43","date_gmt":"2019-04-25T09:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=98072"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:18","slug":"well-never-know-the-root-cause-of-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/04\/25\/well-never-know-the-root-cause-of-depression\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We\u2019ll never know the root cause of depression\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

More and more students seem to be dealing with mental health issues. Is there an epidemic at universities? How can it be explained? And what can we do about it? \u201cUniversities should factor in mental health as a variable that can influence course work.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Firstyear Psychology student Nina (22) has been struggling with depression and a mild anxiety disorder. \u201cIt makes me feel hollow, empty and on edge all the time. I\u2019ve experienced a great deal of stress for most of my life. At school, this was mostly because of the people around me, deadlines and exams. I don\u2019t think I knew how to cope with it, which is probably why I fell into a depression in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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Rather than being reduced, heavy workloads and mental health issues appear to be on the rise, for staff and students alike.In a series of articles, EM is looking for causes and solutions. This is part 3: what are the causes for psychological problems among students?<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n

In today\u2019s society, more and more students seem to be dealing with mental health issues, including depression, anxiety or burnout. In the midst of this mental battle, students might feel alone and misunderstood, like Nina. What is mental health? What causes mental health problems? And are there any solutions?<\/p>\n

Mental health is difficult to grasp. Is it a matter of not wanting to talk about mental health problems or not knowing how to talk about them? Students find it hard to admit that they aren\u2019t okay. Since that could be interpreted as a sign of weakness or simply because time doesn\u2019t allow them to break down. \u201cI don\u2019t really discuss it because it\u2019s a bit of a taboo, right?\u201d Nina says that others wouldn\u2019t really understand what it\u2019s like. \u201cThe conversation just wouldn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Impulses and choices<\/h2>

Bert van den Bergh, psychologist-philosopher, recently published De schaduw van de zwarte hond<\/em>. This book discusses depression in present-day society from a cultural-philosophical perspective. He claims that students are facing increasing amounts of pressure. \u201cOur society has become individualist-centred, focusing on performance. Students are confronted with so many impulses and choices. They\u2019re expected to know what they want when they\u2019re just 17 or 18 years old, which is rubbish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walter van den Broek, psychiatrist and lecturer at the Erasmus Medical Centre, emphasises that depression is a disease and affects many people in this generation. \u201cWe may compare it to previous decades and feel that it\u2019s drastically increased, but it\u2019s always been around. However, having depression may have been a more sensitive topic back then than it is now, and people have become more open and transparent than they ever used to be.\u201d That\u2019s a good thing, according to Van den Broek, not only to raise more awareness about the issue, but also to let people know that it\u2019s okay<\/em>not to be okay.<\/p>\n

All sorts of depression<\/h2>

In contrast to Van den Bergh\u2019s proposition that it\u2019s the culture that pushes individuals to feel pressured due to today\u2019s norms, Van den Broek doesn\u2019t agree. Although he does argue that it may have something to do with burnouts or work overload. \u201cThere are all sorts of depression and if a person is more prone to it, stress doesn\u2019t help,\u201d he explains. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s important to first identify the triggers causing someone to become depressed so that experts know how to prevent an episode.\u201d<\/p>\n

A person may acquire depression through genetics, psychological factors or social factors, and it can be classified as light, moderate, or severe. If someone has a light to moderate depression, they can be treated as outpatients along with medication. Patients diagnosed with severe depression, however, need to be admitted to hospital so that they can be carefully monitored.<\/p>\n

Rollercoaster<\/h2>\n\t
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\n\t\tMy anxiety disorder makes me feel constantly on edge. As if you\u2019re on a rollercoaster and you\u2019re unable to control it.\u201d\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

When asked how her depression makes her feel, Nina says: \u201cIt makes me feel empty. It\u2019s not really a feeling; it\u2019s a state of being. My anxiety disorder makes me feel constantly on edge. As if you\u2019re on a rollercoaster and you\u2019re unable to control it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continues: \u201cObjectively speaking, I don\u2019t experience more stress than any other human being. Because of my depression and anxiety, however, I deal with it less healthily than most of my peers. For example, I\u2019d love to be able to give a presentation to a class, but I can\u2019t, because it causes me too much anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isolation<\/h2>

Van den Bergh states that most students feel insecure. \u201cThey\u2019re insecure about how and what to choose, which affects their mental state. Nowadays, students are presented with so many possibilities. They need to make choices about which degree to pursue, what extracurricular activities to take on and which friends to hang out with. When this becomes too much, it leads to stress and a fear of missing out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main feeling of depression is not so much sadness or inhibition but isolation\u201d, says Van den Bergh. When students face problems in their personal or academic lives, they easily tend to feel alone. It\u2019s about fighting our own battles and solving things by ourselves. It would be rude to burden others with personal problems. \u201cI don\u2019t really talk about my mental health, because it\u2019s a hard thing to admit. I don\u2019t know how to tell others without feeling that I\u2019m letting them down,\u201d says Nina.<\/p>\n

By adopting this attitude, students often disregard the fact that there are others who are willing to help. Nina: \u201cWhat can be done to help students who are struggling with mental health problems? The most important thing is compassion. Universities should factor in mental health as a variable that can influence course work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seeking support<\/h2>

Students might recognise Nina\u2019s feelings, whether it concerns mild forms of anxiety and stress, the feeling of being burned out or depressed. Mental health problems are very much here these days, but is there a way to prevent them?<\/p>\n

Van den Bergh: \u201cThe key solution is to provide support, especially in the first year of higher education where students feel lost. People find it hard to seek assistance, but we shouldn\u2019t blame them for that. Rather, we should perhaps create a system that makes it easier for them to take this step.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the medical perspective, however, social factors are mostly evident but not entirely the cause of mental health problems. \u201cDepression, for instance, is a disease which needs to be treated, but we\u2019ll never know its root cause,\u201d Van den Broek emphasises. \u201cWhen students suspect that they have mental health issues, they should seek support. If you start early, you can prevent future complications. Also, antidepressants could help, even if they aren\u2019t the core solution to depression.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sense of community<\/h2>
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Therapy might not always be the key to everything, but it can help you get yourself back on your feet. Nina: \u201cSeek help if necessary. If you can\u2019t function because of your mental health then you should try therapy or at least talk to your doctor or parents about what you can do about it. One therapist told me to analyse my feelings whenever I feel depressed again, which helps me a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van den Bergh: \u201cOf course, educational institutions have their support systems. However, this only touches on the periphery. We need to work on a sense of community within classrooms, make students feel included. Students are constantly pushed in a certain direction of having to make it in life. Once they get pushed too far, they become lost and start experiencing mental health issues. Medication can help, but that\u2019s generally only a first step.\u201d<\/p>\n

Educational institutions have become more aware of mental health among students. In the past, Erasmus University has organised different events to raise awareness. Van den Broek supports this initiative: \u201cA while ago, Erasmus MC organised a symposium for students. We talked about burnout, what to do about it and where to go if you\u2019re struggling. Various psychologists, psychiatrists and student advisors were present to answer questions. I think it\u2019s very important to share this information with students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Romanticising mental illness<\/h2>

\u201cEvents that revolve around raising awareness for mental health are quite interesting. The problem with these events is that they often talk about addressing the so-called taboo. However, we\u2019ve been talking about this taboo for such a long time. We should move past this, start addressing the issues openly and think about ways to actually prevent it from happening,\u201d says van den Bergh in a thoughtful manner.<\/p>\n

Nina thinks that universities should provide help. \u201cIt\u2019s really difficult, though. Teachers should take mental health problems into account, but they can\u2019t really give you a higher grade or an automatic pass just because you\u2019re experiencing problems. At the same time, they should, because the fact that you\u2019re experiencing mental health problems is often beyond your control.\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds: \u201cI think it\u2019s good to raise awareness of mental health but people should be careful about romanticising mental illness. It\u2019s presented as something that\u2019s very relatable, as if everyone feels bad sometimes. In doing so, we risk creating a situation where the more extreme versions of mental health problems suddenly don\u2019t seem so bad anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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About this article<\/strong><\/p>\n

This article was initially written for the IBCoM course New Media Production. Students were instructed to write an in-depth story about a topic of their choice and present it to a jury. The best story would be published in Erasmus Magazine.<\/p>\n

Nina didn\u2019t want her real name mentioned in this article for privacy reasons. Her real name is known to the editors.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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