Depression causes people all across the world to have feelings of sadness, helplessness, worthlessness, and guilt. Some surveys have shown that as many as twenty people in a hundred suffer from depression at one time, and approximately 25 percent of the population may suffer from significant depression in the course of a lifetime ("Depression," 1993). Depression is caused for many reasons, and it affects people in all classes of life. Women seem to have higher occurrences of depression than men. However, some professionals believe it is due to an under-diagnosis in men rather than a biological reason (Breton, 1996). Depression, once believed to affect mainly adults, is now becoming more prevalent in younger populations including college students. Depression among college students may be triggered from reasons including the student's environment, anxiety, and fear of failure.
             The college environment is probably a new experience for most students. Students find that they have more freedom than in the previous years of high school, but they also find that their friends and family are no longer with them to help with decision-making and problem solving. For many students, this may not be an issue. Some students quickly make new friends and acquaintances that they can discuss problems or troubles in life, but for others, this does not happen as easily. Those not having someone to confide with could possibly be more susceptive to depression (Breton, 1996). Sharing feelings with another may relieve tension that could not otherwise be dealt with by one's self. Someone who deals with his or her own problems without the aid of another might not be able to resolve all of the necessary issues, and not dealing with these issues completely can further any feelings of sadness or worthlessness and possibly lead to depression (Breton, 1996).
             Stress, for most, plays a critical role in college. Classes are taught at a qui...