UO counselors
help students
with depression
Several campus mentors are
available to help scholars
survive the various stresses
associated with college life
Jillian Daley
Family/Health/Education Reporter
Depression tops the list of student
mental health issues at the Universi
ty, and the number of students suf
fering from these disorders seems to
be on the rise.
In an April 2002 study, the World
Health Organization reported that
by the year 2020, depression would
be second only to heart disease as
the leading cause of premature
death and disability worldwide, and
uicu ucpicssiun IS
increasingly affect
ing young people.
Many University
Health Center and
Counseling and
Testing Center ex
perts concur with
these findings, and
have said that
their own observa
tions or the student
body support these conclusions.
There are some proposed hy
potheses for the phenomenon, but
few clear answers.
“More of the general population is
going to college than there used to
be, and because of effective medica
tions a lot of people who wouldn’t be
attending school before are,” former
University Health Center director
Gerald Fleischli said. “It used to be
only very high-functioning people
were going to college.”
Now, with the advent of new med
ication, possibilities are open to
those who struggle with heavy de
pression and anxiety.
The two interlocking aspects — a
higher general population and more
effective medication — could be con
tributing to the increase in the num
bers of student clients attending the
Counseling and Testing Center and
the amount of people on medication.
Some say there may be other rea
sons for the perceived increase.
Counseling and Testing Center Di
rector Robin Holmes remarked on
what she called a steady increase in
the number of students coming in,
and the higher number of those who
have full-blown depression.
“More people in general are much
more willing to come in than 20 or
even 10 years ago,” Holmes said.
“Students are reporting more seri
ous issues than ever before.”
Holmes said her colleagues
across the nation had mentioned
"\ do think student life
is particularly stressful
and different than
other times (in life)."
Robin Holmes
Counseling and
Testing Center Director
siiiinai increases
in depression
and anxiety cas
es and the sever
ity of those cas
es, and there
may be a combi
nation of reasons
for it.
“I do think
student life is
particularly
stressful and different than other
times (in life),” she said. She listed
stressors such as an increase in life
decisions and increased academic
and social pressure.
She said another reason might be
the weak economy, which has de
creased job opportunities for many
college graduates and caused stu
dents to pursue advanced degrees or
to prolong their stay in higher edu
cation, which can increase struggles
with debts and finances.
Others said it is not student life, but
the age group in which students fall
that makes the time of life difficult.
Fleischli said the need to establish
one’s identity and achieve independ
ence from one’s family make the late
Turn to Depression, page 20B
Students can shop
around for books
University scholars looking
for good deals on textbooks
can search the campus area,
ortry the Internet
Ken Paulman
Freelance Reporter
Among the rites and rituals of the
first week of class is a trip to the Uni
versity Bookstore to buy textbooks for
the coming term, usually resulting in a
big hit to the wallet for many students.
Those frustrated with high prices
have a number of alternative sources
for textbooks to choose from, but
will they save students any money?
A good way to compare is to choose
a book at random and do some shop
ping, so here’s a comparative look at
one textbook.
“Psychology,” Fourth Edition, by
Peter Gray, is a required text for Psy
chology 201. New editions of the book
sell for #93.15 at the University Book
store and include supplemental texts
and a CD-ROM. Used copies of the
textbook alone are priced at #69.85.
The Internet didn’t have much to
offer in savings. Used copies of “Psy
chology” could be found for #73.00
on www.amazon.com, and #74.88
on www.half.com.
New copies of the book sell for
#96.60 at Amazon.com and a whop
ping #102.75 on Barnes 8c Nobles’
Web site, which also operates as
www. textbooks. com.
Smith Family Book Store, at 768
E. 13th Ave., had a used copy of the
book for $58.95, nearly 15 percent
cheaper than the University Book
store. But there is a catch — at the
time of this report, there was only
one copy of the Fourth Edition on
the shelf.
Smith Family did, however, have
a large stack of Third Edition copies
priced at $20 each. Online, Third
Edition copies were selling for as lit
tle as $3.49 through Half.com.
Saving upward of $90 on an old
er version of a textbook may be
tempting, but it may not be the
wisest strategy.
Dr. Ulrich Mayr, who will be teach
ing Psychology 201 in the fall, says
that students in his class will be bet
ter off buying the current edition.
“Substantial changes have been
made (in the Fourth Edition) that af
fect the structure of chapters,” he
said. “My syllabus will contain page
numbers for the Fourth Edition, not
for the Third Edition.
“Trying to keep abreast with the
material is usually hard enough.
(It’s) better not to waste time worry
ing about whether what you are
reading is really relevant or whether
you may be missing out on some
thing critical.”
While some may feel pinched by
Turn to Books, page 22B
make it happen
Free Services
The following workshops are offered most terms and are designed
to help you make positive health changes. Call 346-4456
for more information.
Smoking Cessation Weight Management
Vegetarian Cooking Sports Nutrition
EEmMMMM
Too many calories? Not enough calcium or iron? Let us help
you find the answers. If you are concerned and/or curious
about the nutrient breakdown of your diet then NAP is for
you. The Health Education Program now offers a FREE
Nutrition Analysis Program to all registered students. Simply
pick up an application at the Health Education room.
T OTAL CHOLESTEROL SCREENING
Every Tuesday from 9:30-11:30 a.m. you can get free total
cholesterol screening. Simply check in at the Health
Education room on the first floor of the Health Center.
Excellent books are available for loan to UO students from
the Health Education room in the Health Center. There you
will also find health related newsletters, articles, and pamphlets.
Just stop by.
UEST SPEAKERS AND PRESENTATIONS
Peer Health Educators and Health Center Staff are available to speak to your
organization on any of the fisted health issues as well as others. Call us for details.
009931
EALTH EDUCATION AT THE STUDENT RECREATION CENTER
Come visit our cart for updated health and wellness information on topics such as: alcohol
and the effects on “workouts,” training and fitness; food supplements and replacement fluids;
effects of tobacco on physical fitness; eating disorders and much more!
Topics Addressed:
HIV/AIDS, Nutrition, Alcohol, Sexuality, Smoking, Cholesterol, Eating
Disorders, Fitness, Stress, Relationships, Weight Management
Health Education Program
346-4456
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HEALTH CENTER
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Visit us at our web site: healthed.uoregon.edu