College/Depression ?
Q.Any advice for getting though college, while trying to handle depression? I dont want to give up, cause that would just be one more faucet of my life that depression has taken from me. But I had a hard time last year, and the new semester is starting in about 2 months, and I have this decision to make. I still have about 2 years to get my BS, assuming I pass everything. Also I would love to correspond with anyone out there going to college with depression (bi or hypomaniac).
A.I dropped out my last semester in March of this year because of my depression and not being able to handle it. I beat myself up all the time for just not staying with it and finishing. But, in a way I am glad that I took the time off. I had worked hard to maintain the Deans List. The winter semester I did really bad and almost flunked out. That is when I knew that I needed to take a break. The first time I got hit really bad with depression was when I was in college. It started with a series of panic attacks, which then settled in to constant anxiety coupled with just everything else that goes on with depression. My sophomore year (second year) was the worst. Stopped going to class. Everything sucked. I drank too much. The trouble was that I wanted help, but no one, not even my parents understood what was going on. As far as they were concerned, I was just being lazy, and over sensitive. I spent the remainder of my time in college battling constantly. A semester spent abroad helped me get out of the depression I was in, but not long after I got home again, it was there again. I managed to finish college, and in four years, despite all the shit I was going through at the time. Anyway. Advice. Right. Get thee to a therapist, try to find one at your school, most have that kind of counseling is usually available. Get a referral to a psychiatrist, perhaps medications can help. Do you have any friends that you can trust that you think would understand, or perhaps a favorite prof? I don't know what your home situation is like, but your folks should be involved if that's reasonable. At any rate, I know how difficult it is to go through college with this illness, I think I had it about as bad as anybody, and it went untreated. Instead I just white-knuckled it the whole time. I think back to that time, ( I graduated four years ago ) and feel sad because if I had been treated, I might have done better/more with my time in college. Oh well.
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