Introduction In Part 1 we explained how negative thoughts influence depressive symptoms and how depression is due to a brain health issue (a weakened frontal lobe) which can influence behavior and impulsivity. Impulsivity leads to bad habits such as alcohol and drug abuse alongside poor food choices, decreased exercise, increased screen time and decreased social interaction. This creates a negative cycle where bad habits and depressive symptoms influence each other. This downward cycle occurred with Millennials … [Read more...] about Millennials: Depression, the Pandemic and Hope: Part 2
mental health
Millennials: Depression, the Pandemic and Hope (Part 1)
Recently, ESN hosted a webinar on Cultivating Mental Health in Grad School in response to the mental health crisis evident in universities and our wider society that has been exacerbated by COVID-19. We are grateful to Grace Chung and Cahleen Shrier for this two part series addressing this crisis and the distinctive hope we have as followers of Christ I. Introduction Millennials have had an increase in diagnoses of depression since 2013 (Blue Cross, 2019). Some individuals suffering from depression have a compromised … [Read more...] about Millennials: Depression, the Pandemic and Hope (Part 1)
Event Announcement: Cultivating Mental Health in Grad School
Graduate school in normal times is a stressful experience for many. A study in 2018 found 39 percent of the respondents experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of depression. This compared to 6 percent of the general population. These are not normal times--a two-year long pandemic with lockdowns, isolation, changing protocols on campuses and personal losses. Add divisive politics, racism, climate concerns, and war, and even the most optimistic among us have days we struggle. Another research study in mid-2020 at … [Read more...] about Event Announcement: Cultivating Mental Health in Grad School
Science Corner: When Normal Isn’t Normative
Although my public health training focused on infectious diseases, I care about a wide range of public health issues. My job cuts across domains, and also personally I want people to be comprehensively healthy and not merely free from contagions. So when I saw that health-improving and potentially life-saving interventions were being labeled as child abuse and used as the sole grounds for investigating parents, I was baffled and dismayed. I don't understand how providing treatments which have demonstrated health … [Read more...] about Science Corner: When Normal Isn’t Normative
The Other Pandemic
Amid another wave of COVID-19, university administrators are preparing for another pandemic as students return to university campuses. “We have a mental health pandemic inside of the COVID-19 pandemic right now,†according to Dr. Bern Melnyk, Ohio State's Chief Wellness Officer and Dean of the College of Nursing. Another university administrator acknowledged efforts to hire additional counseling staff. In a reporting period of January 20-February 1, 2021, 57 percent of 18-29 reported symptoms of depression or … [Read more...] about The Other Pandemic