Surveillance of Trends in Depression According to Susan R. Furr Article

There have been several active methods of surveillance done by public health officials to describe the trend of depression among college students over the years. Many different aspects are analyzed, beyond the general percentage of students who express symptoms of depression. The following is an exerpt from an article by Susan R. Furr, which details a trend observed in her research:

One of the most extensive analyses of suicide prevalence rates among college students was published by Schwartz and Whitaker (1990), who examined the research on college student suicide rates over a 60-year period (1928–1988) at 12 colleges and universities. From this research, they concluded that the suicide rate among college students was approximately half that of the nonstudent group. However, some professionals working in college counseling center settings have reported an increase in the severity of presenting problems ( Heppner et al., 1994), which suggests that depression and suicide might be becoming increasingly prevalent on college campuses.

- Suicide and Depression Among College Students, A Decade Later, Susan R. Furr

While this data initially seems to support an idea that students exhibit better mental health than non-students because of the apparent greater number of suicides among non-students, it goes on to say that the severity of problems has persisted. While perhaps the rates of suicide have are not as high in this particular case, it appears that it is more prevalent as a whole in the student population and has increased in severity. This information is a direct factor in the prevalence of depression in college students.

An indirect factor that was gathered from that same article was the seriousness of the situation as described by the student population. In a survey that included 1455 students over 4 college campuses, only 37% of the students surveyed reported that depression was a serious problem on campus. Even among the students the students that expressed feelings of depression since coming to college, only about 47% thought it was a serious problem. If even those affected by depression undermine the importance and severity of the situation, it will never reach the proper level of understanding and awareness to the student body as a whole. Measures cannot be taken to combat an issue that is not even presented as one. This could very likely effect the prevalence of depression among students; because so few people express the issue as an actual problem on campuses, it is less likely that the campus will have the means to treat those who express symptoms of depression. As a result, the prevalence will increase without being known to the actual institution, as depression and other mental conditions are not things that can be easily seen like a cold or any other illness.

One other point that this article addressed was the kind of institution from which the different students in the serveys were from. Of the four institutions from wich the pool of students was gathered, two were larger institutions and one was a smaller religious one. The information was analyzed and reported as such:

Students from the community college were less likely to cite loneliness as a factor in depression. When the institution had a large commuter population (comprehensive university and community college), money was more frequently cited as a contributing factor to depression. Students at the community college were more likely to have a local support network because the vast majority of these students lived in the local community and did not have to relocate to attend college. Being a part of the community may be a mitigating factor against depression. The small college in the sample is a religiously affiliated institution. Students may be attracted to this institution because of the opportunities for fellowship, service, and spiritual growth. Research ( Stack, 1998) has found a relationship between low religiosity and increased suicide acceptability. Consequently, students who choose a college with a religious atmosphere may be more inclined to view suicide as less acceptable.

- Suicide and Depression Among College Students, A Decade Later, Susan R. Furr

There are several apparently minor factors that contribute to a person's overall mental health. One would no think that being a commuter vs. non-commuter would have a negative effect on a person's health, but the correlation is present. This is another indirect factor in the surveillence of mental health issues in college students. They are powerful contributing factors when working together but are not exclusively linked to the onset and progression of depression. 

Problem Definition and Term Paper Idea

A prevalent issue that should be looked at more closely in regards to public health is the issue of mental health. This especially applies to youth who suffer from depression, specifically high school and college students. While depression itself isn't something that organizations like the CDC can tackle directly, there can be methods by organizations to better deal with its physical. Meaning, while depression itself is a very difficult condition to treatment, resources should be available in institutions to better prevent situations of self harm and destructiveness. Depression has long term debilitating effects on a person's ability to properly interact with those around them, and it severely limits the academic potential of students. The National Institute of Mental Health reported a 30% rate of depression among 2 and 4 year college students. In an abstract from PubMed, a survey of 14,175 college students nationwide reported 17.3% for depression, 4.1% for panic disorder, 7.0% for generalized anxiety, 6.3% for suicidal ideation, and 15.3% for nonsuicidal self-injury. These surveys were administered in the years 2007 and 2009. 

A possible problem definition using this information could go as follows:

Studies show an increased reportage of mental health issues among college students and adolescents. 

The purpose of the paper would be to explain the "why" of this issue, and put forward ideas on how to tackle the public health. There are several factors that could contribute to the prevalence of poor mental health among college students. Certain aspects of social norms, race, and economic standing weigh heavily on college students, in an environment that demands success as a prerequisite. There is inherently a lot of stress, and this definitely takes its toll. It is in the best interests of universities to try and curb the rates of depression and other mental health issues that are becoming prevalent in schools. Depending on the rates of things like depression among students, prospective students could very likely try and find environments that they would find far more hospitable. If not for the welfare of the students, the loss of potential students would prompt universities to take action. 

"Contagion" - A Modern Pandemic

Contagion presented a hypothetical situation in which a modern epidemic occurred. The movie tracks the spread and attempts to curb the spread of an extremely infectious virus that plagues North America and Asia. The CDC's main concern is to try and educate the populous to try and slow down the rate of incidence. Scientists desperately try and create a vaccine to combat the virus but nearly all subjects die upon its injection, to the point where they are ordered to destroy all the stored viruses and subjects. Only after ignoring the order to destroy samples and continuing to work do scientists come up with a vaccine, but without any proper means to test its efficacy on humans, Dr. Hextall injects it into herself. The vaccine is a success, but the distribution process is long and painstaking, based on a lottery of birth dates. The virus itself originated from a bat whose food was eaten by a pig, which was then slaughtered by a butcher who did not wash his hands before shaking the hands of the protagonist's wife, thus beginning the epidemic.

Outbreak is the occurrence of a disease in much greater numbers and far shorter time period than would be considered normal. This is caused in the movie by the rapid development and reportage of cases of the illness after the virus' exposure to the population. Several steps that are involved in outbreak investigation are shown in the film, such as defining the disease as an actual threat, tracing it fact to its first victim, and acquiring virus samples to study the disease's progression and how to create a vaccine. Isolation is shown in the sports stadium, which all ill persons are kept. Quarantine is shown when officials lock away the first victim's husband, as he was exposed to the virus but did not show any signs of illness.

There were several things that could have been done to properly tackle the spread of the pathogen before it got out of hand. The communication of the shear scope of the outbreak was really kept from the public, which realistically would have stopped a panic, but also didn't allow people to take the virus as seriously as the should have. Another problem was cooperation across agencies. Funding was a constant roadblock for CDC operations, such as creating an isolation unit within the sporting center. A major issue with the movie was the degeneration of civilization as time wore on. People looted and murdered without any consequence and there was really no authority present to keep order. This only exasperated the social issues going on.