To many, Madison is the best college town in the U.S. But for some of the more than 50,000 students who attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, every day is a struggle.
Depression rates among US students Higher than everMany people are struggling behind the scenes, Katherine Zimmerman, president of the National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI), told The Daily Cardinal.
“There’s clearly a mental health crisis happening among college students,” Zimmerman said. “If we had a more proactive approach to addressing issues like mild depression and anxiety in students, I think we would have a more effective way to support students on campus.”
Zoe Kun, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has been diagnosed with depression, said the pressure feels like a “racketeer society” where only the top 25 percent of students can get an A in classes like hers at an academically competitive university.
“It’s very depressing,” Kun said. “How do I adjust to being at the bottom now and having to work so hard to get results?”
Kang and Zimmerman said mild depression caused by dramatic changes at a university is unique and yet often goes unaddressed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
To combat these changes, Zimmerman suggested joining clubs to find smaller communities on campus.
“One thing that has always stood out to me about taking care of myself is being involved and feeling like I’m part of a community,” Zimmerman said. “When students are struggling with something and they come to a meeting, they feel heard and like they have a place on campus.”
Accommodation
UW-Madison offers the following resources: McBurney Disability Centre In the 2022-23 school year, 2,034 students used the center for mental health issues. Still, other students who identify as having a disability Unregistered Through the center.
Depression has always been an issue on college campuses, but the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened general anxiety around communication, Cathy Wierzchowski, a mental health provider with University Health Services (UHS), told The Cardinal.
While the McBurney Report doesn’t have a category specific to depression, McBurney does categorize it as a psychological disorder, meaning students with depression can also use McBurney, McGrath said.
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McGrath said some students have disabilities and have been diagnosed with depression, while others have just been diagnosed with depression, and all are able to receive accommodations.
“We work with each student individually to understand their experiences and see if they qualify for assistance based on their disability,” McGrath said.
Additionally, Zimmerman said, people with mild depression are treated differently from those with severe depression.
“Sometimes depression is mild, and you can just get out of bed and go to class,” Zimmerman said. “Sometimes depression is severe, and you can’t get out of bed, you can’t take a shower, you can’t brush your teeth, and you have really trouble with executive functioning and motivation.”
Kuhn, who doesn’t use McBurney, said some of the services McBurney offers don’t necessarily meet her needs.
“Most of what’s being advertised about McBurney is that the test time is 1.5 hours, which may be great for some people but I don’t need that. It’s just sad,” she said.
Kun said she has heard some people are being offered flexibility around deadlines and attendance, “which for someone in my situation would be a real blessing.”
Zimmerman said there was a misunderstanding between students and McBurney about accommodations. If everyone received accommodations, the needs of students with severe depression could be overlooked, Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman said this misconception stems from a lack of education about mental health and depression, which is why colleges need to let students know how to deal with mild depression and not automatically require them to seek resources.
Utilize Therapy
UHS Counseling Services Kuhn and Zimmerman said it can also be helpful for students seeking help for the first time, but getting an appointment can be difficult.
“The whole therapy situation is very overloaded,” Kun says. “We’re supposed to offer sessions about once a month, but with final exams and school commitments, it’s very difficult to actually get those sessions.”
Wierzchowski said one-on-one therapy can be effective in addressing students’ issues and is a great first step for many students, while group therapy can help individuals proactively address their concerns to further treat depression.
UHS also offers other forms of counseling, including daily counseling. Let’s talk Sessions and Partnerships Youwill and together For students.
When Kun met with UHS for her first “access appointment,” she said it “felt like going through a checklist.”
Sarah Clifford Grapa, associate director of marketing and health communications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said experts cover a number of topics during Access appointments.
“The goal is to make the Access appointment a collaborative experience to best customize care for each student,” Grapa said.
Kuhn recommended finding outside therapy as a viable alternative.
“If you get treatment outside of UHS, you’re going to get pretty much the same care and probably a better therapist,” Kang said, “but you’re still going to get one session a month with a better therapist.”
UW-Madison Mental Health Student Advisory Committee It gives students a voice and helps ensure the university is meeting the needs of its student community. The university is continually expanding its service offerings to better support students, Grapa said.
Student support and community resources are available through the University Health Services Crisis Line at (608) 265-5600, option 9.
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