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4 The Panther April 15-30, 2017 Clark Atlanta University Depression among college students often goes undetected The amount of sunlight By Laurence Morreale Depression and mental illness in the African-American community is a monster that many do not want to deal with. It is similar to the commercial where there are two people in the room and a 600 pound gorilla, yet the two people are not saying a word about the gorilla to each other. It takes up the same amount of space as the gorilla and is just as if not more uncomfortable, especially for those who may be suffering in silence. Depression in the African- American community is already tough to talk about but when it’s mixed in with college students, especially historically black college students then it is a different story. College students are most likely to start exhibiting traits of mental illness because in most cases mental illness symptoms start showing in people during their college years, which is usually ages 18-21. The most common mental illness in the African-American community is Clinical Depression, which is characterized by at least two weeks of low mood that is present acoss most S t U (jentS TCCeive Call situations. It is often accompanied by low self- a ] so h a y e an effect Oil esteem, loss of interest in normally enjoyable me ntal health, activities, low energy and pain without a cause. This article uses expertise from a professional to help trace the roots of depression in the African-American community, how students on HBCU campuses cope with their depression, and how students can get help and turn their life around. Dr. Christopher K. Bass, of the Department of Psychology at CAU, is a mental health professional who has practiced psychology and conducted research for over 20 years. He has also worked on many Historically Black college campus’s as well as predominately white institutions for over 18 years and is also an alumni of CAU. He was chosen to be interviewed on this subject for his experience as a student, mental healthcare professional, and current faculty member of a historically black college. When asked why there is such a major stigma in the Black community for seeking treatment with mental illness Dr. Bass said, “Because of many factors, but it’s noteworthy to state that we have a long sorted history of being used as test subjects within the anals of psychology and psychiatry in this country. As detailed in the book; ‘Medical Aparthied,’ we were subject to many unethical and destructive trials and ‘treatments’ for much of our time on this continent. “This is very true when you look at examples such as the famed Tuskegee experiment where black service men in Tuskegee, Alabama were led to believe that their government prescribed medications were actually treating syphillis. We understand now that the govemement conducted this experient to understand the effects of untreated syphillis on the human body. Horror stories such as these have added to the paranoia in the Black community of people being afraid to go see a doctor and tell their deepest, darkest secrets of themselves to a stranger.” Dr. Bass also mentioned how the stigma of already being a minority also plays a role in why African-Americans do not seek help. ‘I may be Black but I am not crazy!” is something some African-Americans may tell themselves and others to avoid getting help because it is perceived as being a weakness. Organized religion is also a factor, since African-Americans statistically outwardly express concepts of spirituality more so than other ethnic groups in the United States. This is common especially in the “Bible Belt” South where blacks are more likely to go to church every Sunday compared to other ethnic groups. The common belief that penetence and prayer can stop or aid mental illness alone is something that impacts the psyche of the Black community and causes many to reject the idea of pursuing professional help. When talking about students attending HBCUs, the conversation of mental health becomes even more unsatisfying. Students are often met with health clinics that do not meet their needs. One student who asked not to be identified, said, “The counseling center on campus does not really help.” Attempts at recieving services for significant mental health services at the school’s health center were also futile. He went on to say, “They just give you a list of places that may or may not be able to help you and send you on your way.” A list of facilities to seek mental health treatment may be helpful but at the same time it makes students even more vulnerable when they may be pushing themselves to their own limits asking for treatment in the first place. This type of scenario can lead students who may be embarrassed or ashamed of their mental illness to end their journey of seeking mental health indefinitely, which in turn causes even more pain for people going through this trauma to feel like they have no true support system, which Dr. Bass says is extremely important when trying to deal with mental illness, "Get a support network. They may not have all of the tools to help you get all the way through, but they can still help,” he said. Of course, seeking out professional help is key when experiencing psychological disturbances. Whatever you decide to do. Dr. Bass urges you to “Talk to someone. Do not hold onto your issues alone.” Anxiety is also another illness prevalent among college students who are usually trying to balance working part time and also being a full time student. Many students feel under pressure, which can lead to developing bad habits (including self -medication) that can be maladaptive to pursuing mental health treatment. Habits such as smoking, drinking, smoking marijuana are all common among college students including students. The way to avoid developing a habit is to try to have a balanced schedule. People who have a balanced schedule where they have time to get their objectives done and also have time to rest and exercise are usually less likely to engage in the aforementioned habits. Also, people who exercise are typically less likely to be depressed. According to work done by Dr. Michael Otto; "research shows that exercise can also help alleviate long-term depression.” Dr. Otto says that even jogging for at least five minutes can boost someone’s mood. The amount of sunlight students receive can also have an effect on mental health because sunlight plays an important role. Students from places where the exposure of sun is more common (ie., California) typically show fewer symptoms of depression when they first come to school because they are used to getting more than enough vitamin B 12 from the amount of sunlight. Dr. Bass said, “Seasonal Affective disorder can occur when your sun ratio is off, you are not receiving enough B12 and this can ultimately cause seasonal depression.” There are, of course, many other reasons for depressive sympomolgy including genetics and situational occurances. Also substance use and abuse as well as diet and many of the foods that students typically eat are not good. Dr. Bass expressed concern for the millennial generation’s use of social media. He said, “The biggest therapists in the world right now are Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat.” He made the point that when young people, especially college students, feel down, they go to these platforms to boost themselves up because of the instant gratification these social media outlets give to people who may be dealing with depression or anxiety. “The only problem with this gratification is that it is short term," Dr. Bass said. People who look for a boost from these websites when they post a picture or gain followers are trying to pick themselves up but they eventually run into the same problem all over again when they are dealing with depression because there is only so much praise someone can get off of one post until a person is dealing with the same issues all over again. Finding mental health support can be extremely overwhelming for people, especially young African-American college students, since many come from communities where seeking mental health is not a common thing. Although there are many problems the African-American community must address when it comes to mental health awareness. Dr. Bass believes that millennials and future generations of young African-Americans people are dealing with mental health in a positive way and eventually it will be less of a social stigma behind seeking help. “We are slow moving cars in a fast moving freeway. This can cause depression and anxiety,” Dr. Bass said. “Once we learn to move at the speed we are comfortable with, maybe then we can move forward.”