Contact: Ellen Mayou 214-768-7659 [email protected]
December 7, 1998
HOLIDAY VISITS OFFER AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK FOR SIGNS OF HEALTH PROBLEMS IN STUDENTS
DALLAS (SMU) ñ The holiday season may be the first opportunity that some parents get to see first-year students who have left for college. While sharing presents and catching up on family news, parents may want to look for signs of health problems their students may have, say campus health officials at Southern Methodist University.
Health problems that frequently occur in first-year students include depression, eating disorders, and alcohol and drug abuse.
"Depression is the number one problem we see," says Karen Settle, director of SMUÃs Counseling and Testing Center.
Some students suffer depression because they feel a void in their lives, whether from the loss of a relationship they left behind or from being away from family and friends, Settle says. Being separated from traditional support systems and adjusting to the rigors of college life can compound depression.
Warning signs of depression include a change in sleeping or eating habits; a decrease in energy; problems with concentration; irritability; withdrawal and apathy; and lack of motivation.
"Often students donÃt even know that these symptoms signal depression," Settle says.
Parents of children who are suffering from depression should allow them to call or come home more often, Settle says. "Parents might also want to visit them on campus," she says.
Parents also should encourage their children to talk to a counselor if their depression persists, Settle adds. "Many parents think their children can pull themselves out of depression. Sometimes that is possible but sometimes it isnÃt," she says. Warning signs of eating disorders include restricting food intake; talking excessively about being fat; having an excessive drive to be thin; overexcercising; taking diet pills or laxatives; skipping meals; an increase or decrease in weight; or not wanting to go out to eat. SMU has a part-time nutritionist as well as a psychiatrist and a psychologist on staff who frequently work as a team to help students with eating disorders. A group of students on campus also have formed a peer group called "Smart Bodies" that performs skits to help promote a positive body image. John Sanger, director of SMUÃs Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, says the majority of alcohol problems on campus also occur in first-year students. "These students have moved away from their parents, have new-found freedom and are making decisions for the first time," Sanger says. "This, combined with the availability of alcohol and the desire to fit in with a new peer group can lead to high-risk drinking choices."
Sanger says poor grades may be one warning sign a student is having a problem with alcohol. A 1997 College Alcohol Survey conducted by college administrators across the country found that 38 percent of failing grades are caused by alcohol.
Sanger says he encourages parents to talk about issues such as alcohol and drug abuse with their students rather than wait for symptoms of the problems to become apparent. "I suggest parents share their family beliefs and values about alcohol and discuss the differences between low-risk and high risk drinking choices ñ as well as abstaining as an option," Sanger says.
Information on eating disorders common in students may be found on the SMU web site at http://www.smu.edu/~eating_disorders. The SMU Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention also has a web site at http://www.smu.edu/~alc_edu.
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