Depression

Depression, much like a parasite, is something that spreads throughout one's life that could soon be fatal in the end. In terms of depression, some individuals that do experience this feeling are attending college, which should actually be the best experience in their lives. 

Alissa Steiner who was once a college student at the University of California at Davis wrote "Depression in College Students". Her essay focused in on the aspects of depression and how it could lead to suicidal thoughts if continued. According to Steiner's thesis, "Depression and suicide are major issues not only here in Davis, but also at college campuses nationwide." Steiner was able to support her thesis from a study by the American College Health Association in 2005 that "...showed that 15 percent of college students around the country have been professionally diagnosed with depression..." (Depression in College Students, 163). In addition, Steiner used the testimonials from doctors and teachers, such as Diana Hill, who was a UC Davis member of the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS, and Phillip Clay, the chancellor for Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 

In my opinion, Steiner's response to the issue of depression in college students was excellent. Steiner was able to present her thesis with reliable and credible sources. Adding on to her sources, Steiner used testimonials from doctors and teachers to have a better understanding of how others feel about the topic. But before Steiner went into detail on the issue, she explained what the definition of depression was and how it was caused, which I thought was very informational on her part. 

Towards the end of her essay, Steiner proposed counseling for those going through depression to reduce the level of depression and stress for an individual. This part was my favorite because Steiner tried to encourage those depressed or stressed to attempt to receive help from others. In addition, I enjoyed her ending section of "Looking out for Each Other", where she explained what students should do if they have friends going through difficult times as well as explaining her own experience with someone that had depression. If I were to write an essay on this issue of depression in college students, I would not do anything differently from what Steiner wrote. Her essay was an excellent essay and I would not know what else to talk about, since Steiner wrote everything that was necessary to know and realize about.