2008 Woodie Awards
Hinga discusses depression
JoLynn Elkins
Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: Campus Life
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As the semester gains momentum towards midterms, the stress of school is cranking up. Dr. Gilbert Hinga, assistant vice president of Wellness and Career Development, advises on the dangers of depression and stress, and what the school offers to help.
Hinga says there is a difference between what people generally call depression and clinical depression.
"The best way to think of clinical depression is to think of it as depression as a continuum. Where on one hand you feel sadness, kind of down in the dumps, we all go through that, to clinical depression" he said, "looks very different than sadness or feeling down," Hinga said. To be diagnosed with Clinical depression, a person would have to have had symptoms of depression that last for two weeks or more and they have to be interfering with normal life in some way.
Hinga outlined some of the symptoms for clinical depression.
"Some of the symptoms can be depressed mood, can't get up, can't do anything… It could be that they have weight loss, they have lost a lot of weight or gained a lot of weight. Or they have lost a lot of interest in activities that they did before. It can be that they can't sleep, or they are sleeping a lot. It could be that they have been having thoughts of death, or suicide. It could be that they are having a feeling of worthlessness or guilt," Hinga said.
Hinga said that suicide is linked to depression, and that statistics show suicide rates are much higher in students who do not seek counseling than in the groups of students who have gone through counseling. "There is a protective factor of counseling." Hinga said.
Depression is not the only thing that can hurt your well being at school. Hinga said that stress is a major issue on campus. Stress can lead to many problems if not handled properly. While everyone has had stress in their life, what they used to cope with stress may not work in the University environment.
"When they [students] come here they find that the coping mechanism doesn't work anymore. Say, what they used to do was watch TV now they find out that watching TV doesn't help, or doesn't help as much. It probably means that their level of stress has increased, and the coping they used to do no longer works.
Hinga says there is a difference between what people generally call depression and clinical depression.
"The best way to think of clinical depression is to think of it as depression as a continuum. Where on one hand you feel sadness, kind of down in the dumps, we all go through that, to clinical depression" he said, "looks very different than sadness or feeling down," Hinga said. To be diagnosed with Clinical depression, a person would have to have had symptoms of depression that last for two weeks or more and they have to be interfering with normal life in some way.
Hinga outlined some of the symptoms for clinical depression.
"Some of the symptoms can be depressed mood, can't get up, can't do anything… It could be that they have weight loss, they have lost a lot of weight or gained a lot of weight. Or they have lost a lot of interest in activities that they did before. It can be that they can't sleep, or they are sleeping a lot. It could be that they have been having thoughts of death, or suicide. It could be that they are having a feeling of worthlessness or guilt," Hinga said.
Hinga said that suicide is linked to depression, and that statistics show suicide rates are much higher in students who do not seek counseling than in the groups of students who have gone through counseling. "There is a protective factor of counseling." Hinga said.
Depression is not the only thing that can hurt your well being at school. Hinga said that stress is a major issue on campus. Stress can lead to many problems if not handled properly. While everyone has had stress in their life, what they used to cope with stress may not work in the University environment.
"When they [students] come here they find that the coping mechanism doesn't work anymore. Say, what they used to do was watch TV now they find out that watching TV doesn't help, or doesn't help as much. It probably means that their level of stress has increased, and the coping they used to do no longer works.
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