Many students in high school look forward to escaping the authority of their parents. However, when the day comes, some discover that stress comes along with freedom. Suddenly, your laundry is your own responsibility, nobody is preparing your meals or letting you use the car, and the responsibility of getting your course work done is yours alone. Some young people thrive on this change, while others may feel disoriented, lonely and mildly or even severely depressed.
One of the biggest causes of anxiety and depression at a university has nothing to do with academics. Young people are thrown together, away from parental authority, the majority of them unmarried and without full-time jobs. Hormones are raging, emotions run high, friendships and relationships are formed and abandoned at lightning speed. It also can lead to anxiety and depression.
Living in an academic environment, often quite removed from the rest of the world, the importance of grades and exams can be exaggerated in a student's mind. Students can feel intense pressure to achieve high grades. In a competitive economy, a superior academic record is an advantage. But pressure to perform academically sometimes can work against doing well in college.
Many students are at universities to get a secure job after graduation. In lean economic times, the worry associated with this major life hurdle can be stressful. Even with extensive education, new graduates are likely to have less experience than other job candidates and suffer a disadvantage in some job markets.
Books have been written about methods for avoiding or dealing with anxiety and depression, including for students in college. The root causes need to be addressed to make progress in dealing with the conditions. Deeper understanding of oneself, even when it comes from uncomfortable experiences, may be the most valuable result of a university education.