Imagine being a school student or a young adult finding their career path through their undergrad. While being filled with ambition and drive to succeed, surrounded by friends and being out and about, balancing the stress of academics is easier done when you have recreation and a support system in close proximity. However, with the onset of Covid-19, such conditions have changed for student bodies at all levels.

 

Students have been pushed into an unforgiving circumstance which is affecting their mood. This mental paradigm shift has changed the way students see the world. They experience feelings of long-term and profound sadness, low mood, anger, loss of interest, aversion to activities and so on. Some might write this off as laziness but the reality is more heartbreaking and troublesome. These students experience depression which disrupts their daily work and activities. It prevents them from finding happiness in the smaller things and with the new safety regulations of distancing and isolation, students are being challenged mentally more than they are being physically.

 

Depression is something most students encounter due to academic stress and societal pressure. Has his condition worsened due to the pandemic?

 

The pandemic period has been a tough time for everyone, especially teens and young adults pursuing their academic careers. They are the ones who have been hit the hardest by mental health concerns. A recent Centre for Disease Control (CDC) report showed that out of 5,400 people, 25% (between the ages of 18-24) had contemplated suicide in the previous month.

 

Depression, anxiety and stress are quite adamant among the student community in general, and more particularly, among university students. These students tend to face physical, psychological, social and academic demands which affect their mental well-being and make them more vulnerable to the psychological distress of depression.

 

Let’s take a glimpse into some of the contributing factors of depression among students —

 

How great is staying home all day?

Home quarantine or home isolation is fun for only so long. It becomes suffocating as it limits a person’s freedom and mobility. These restrictions make one apprehensive of losing their jobs, succumb to extreme boredom, distant from others and so on, all of which being about depression and anxiety.

 

Difficulty transitioning

Transitioning from physical classrooms to online learning is not as easy as it sounds. In countries like Bangladesh, students are accustomed to a traditional style of learning based on hands-on student-teacher communication along with their classmates next to them. This close space creates an intimate environment for learning. However, online learning has changed this scenario and the transition to an online platform and relearning what a classroom is has not been easy for everyone.

 

What about human connection?

Long periods of time spent in loneliness and away from one’s social circle can cause deterioration in mental and physical health over time and lead to depression. Students tend to feel disconnected from their peers, teachers and other support systems they might have access to in schools and universities. This causes students to become distant from social values and themselves, feel abandoned and helpless and develop a sense of estrangement.

 

Lack of extracurricular activities

Schools and universities are often the place to socialise and interact with others. After-school activities engage students in stimulating activities which promote their intellectual development and also provide a healthy mode of recreation and socialisation. Even if these activities take place online, the lack of physical closeness and intimacy takes away the one-on-one emotional connection students could form.

 

With this absence of the shared space, feeling hopeless or lacking any motivation to partake in activities which once provided joy, is a common possibility. This makes students question the purpose of these activities when their minds are clouded with uncertainties.

 

What will happen tomorrow?

The COVID-19 pandemic has made predicting the events of tomorrow an almost impossible task and has taken away the comfort of stability from human society. Students always have an aim — either to study and do well in an exam or to prepare for the next step in their academic career. However, with everything so unsettled, no one knows what tomorrow will bring. This sense of instability and ambiguity weighs on students and feeds their depression. In addition to adjusting with the new normal of online learning, students have to rethink their future plans in terms of pursuing higher studies abroad and their line of career. These anxieties and stresses cause depression among students and fill their minds with apathy, despondency and pessimism, all of which affect their mood and might even interfere with daily activities.

 

As a 23-year-old university senior studying English literature, depression and anxiety have become my close associates. While being dragged down by my own worries of what to do after graduation and how to go about it, I am constantly struggling to keep up with my studies while battling the distractions of home. The situation becomes more tiresome and overwhelming due to the lack of cooperation and understanding from teachers. The general assumption is that as students are seated at home with nowhere to go, their entire day can and should be dedicated to writing papers and studying for quizzes. However, this virulent sentiment becomes a hefty source of depression when four to five teachers all think alike and act accordingly. The entire picture is topped off with the fear of disappointment and falling behind.

 

Previously, it was easy to blow off steam by talking to my friends and indulging in a cup of tea after classes. Additionally, my debating club sessions would provide me with intellectual learning, keep me eager to learn more from my peers and also gather knowledge about various topics on my own. However, now these activities do not seem to be as effective and as intimate online, lacking the depth of human connection. The future itself seems too uncertain and employment opportunities for my field are becoming scarce day by day.

 

So, I keep asking myself, “What’s the point?”

 

Depression has become an overlooked condition and mental disorder among students. If this issue is not addressed today, then the situation will only worsen. In the process, ambitious and brilliant minds will have crumbled under their own minds. Needless to say, depression among students ought to be acknowledged and addressed to bring back the student community in the light of motivation and happiness.