College is well-known as a place where a large number of individuals experience some form of depression and especially for first episodes (Cujipers et al., 2016). Adults have gone through a long life and thus have been through more experiences. The question comes on if college students should receive different treatment than adults. Many factors could play into the question as many differences can exist between adults and college-age students.
Evidence-based treatments can be more beneficial to college students as the treatment is known to be more beneficial to individuals with higher brain function and IQ (Cujipers et al., 2016).
College is the branching point for many individuals across the world. Some will decide to forego college and immediately enter the workforce. Although according to a study, "In high-income countries, more than half of young adults are enrolled in higher education" which refers to college (Cujipers et al., 2016). While moving straight into the workforce has its own stress and anxiety, college students undergo massive levels of stress through the entirety of the learning process. Therefore, college is an important area to treat depression as many students are susceptible due to the environment. Adults and college students are different in that generally, college students are younger and experiencing the obstacles of life. Since adults have already gone through the stresses of life it would be a logical assumption that the two groups would have to be treated differently. In reality, studies have concluded that evidence-based treatment of depression has no significant difference in efficiency between the two groups (Cujipers et al., 2016). The understanding that should be taken from this result is that age is not a factor of treating depression. Depression can be treated regardless of age or experience which is in the best interest of those that are suffering.
Treatment of depression benefits both adults and college students efficiently and thus individuals should seek assistance as soon as symptoms are felt. Regardless of age or brain functioning, depression requires help to mitigate the detrimental effects. It is recommended for college students to seek assistance as receiving treatment earlier in life can prevent the severity from increasing with age. Whether you are an adult, college student, or have somebody close to you that suffers from depression, many different services can be offered to you at your university or mental health clinics. Take some time and make life better and peaceful for the future.
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