college essay about overcoming depression

Essays About Depression: Top 8 Examples Plus Prompts

Many people deal with mental health issues throughout their lives; if you are writing essays about depression, you can read essay examples to get started.

An occasional feeling of sadness is something that everyone experiences from time to time. Still, a persistent loss of interest, depressed mood, changes in energy levels, and sleeping problems can indicate mental illness. Thankfully, antidepressant medications, therapy, and other types of treatment can be largely helpful for people living with depression.

People suffering from depression or other mood disorders must work closely with a mental health professional to get the support they need to recover. While family members and other loved ones can help move forward after a depressive episode, it’s also important that people who have suffered from major depressive disorder work with a medical professional to get treatment for both the mental and physical problems that can accompany depression.

If you are writing an essay about depression, here are 8 essay examples to help you write an insightful essay. For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers .

• 1. My Best Friend Saved Me When I Attempted Suicide, But I Didn’t Save Her by Drusilla Moorhouse
• 2. How can I complain? by James Blake
• 3. What it’s like living with depression: A personal essay by Nadine Dirks
• 4. I Have Depression, and I’m Proof that You Never Know the Battle Someone is Waging Inside by Jac Gochoco
• 5. Essay: How I Survived Depression by Cameron Stout
• 6. I Can’t Get Out of My Sweat Pants: An Essay on Depression by Marisa McPeck-Stringham
• 7. This is what depression feels like by Courtenay Harris Bond

8. Opening Up About My Struggle with Recurring Depression by Nora Super

1. what is depression, 2. how is depression diagnosed, 3. causes of depression, 4. different types of depression, 5. who is at risk of depression, 6. can social media cause depression, 7. can anyone experience depression, the final word on essays about depression, is depression common, what are the most effective treatments for depression, top 8 examples, 1.  my best friend saved me when i attempted suicide, but i didn’t save her  by drusilla moorhouse.

“Just three months earlier, I had been a patient in another medical facility: a mental hospital. My best friend, Denise, had killed herself on Christmas, and days after the funeral, I told my mom that I wanted to die. I couldn’t forgive myself for the role I’d played in Denise’s death: Not only did I fail to save her, but I’m fairly certain I gave her the idea.”

Moorhouse makes painstaking personal confessions throughout this essay on depression, taking the reader along on the roller coaster of ups and downs that come with suicide attempts, dealing with the death of a loved one, and the difficulty of making it through major depressive disorder.

2.  How can I complain?  by James Blake

“I wanted people to know how I felt, but I didn’t have the vocabulary to tell them. I have gone into a bit of detail here not to make anyone feel sorry for me but to show how a privileged, relatively rich-and-famous-enough-for-zero-pity white man could become depressed against all societal expectations and allowances. If I can be writing this, clearly it isn’t only oppression that causes depression; for me it was largely repression.”

Musician James Blake shares his experience with depression and talks about his struggles with trying to grow up while dealing with existential crises just as he began to hit the peak of his fame. Blake talks about how he experienced guilt and shame around the idea that he had it all on the outside—and so many people deal with issues that he felt were larger than his.

3.  What it’s like living with depression: A personal essay   by Nadine Dirks

“In my early adulthood, I started to feel withdrawn, down, unmotivated, and constantly sad. What initially seemed like an off-day turned into weeks of painful feelings that seemed they would never let up. It was difficult to enjoy life with other people my age. Depression made typical, everyday tasks—like brushing my teeth—seem monumental. It felt like an invisible chain, keeping me in bed.”

Dirks shares her experience with depression and the struggle she faced to find treatment for mental health issues as a Black woman. Dirks discusses how even though she knew something about her mental health wasn’t quite right, she still struggled to get the diagnosis she needed to move forward and receive proper medical and psychological care.

4.  I Have Depression, and I’m Proof that You Never Know the Battle Someone is Waging Inside  by Jac Gochoco

“A few years later, at the age of 20, my smile had fallen, and I had given up. The thought of waking up the next morning was too much for me to handle. I was no longer anxious or sad; instead, I felt numb, and that’s when things took a turn for the worse. I called my dad, who lived across the country, and for the first time in my life, I told him everything. It was too late, though. I was not calling for help. I was calling to say goodbye.”

Gochoco describes the war that so many people with depression go through—trying to put on a brave face and a positive public persona while battling demons on the inside. The Olympic weightlifting coach and yoga instructor now work to share the importance of mental health with others.

5.  Essay: How I Survived Depression   by Cameron Stout

“In 1993, I saw a psychiatrist who prescribed an antidepressant. Within two months, the medication slowly gained traction. As the gray sludge of sadness and apathy washed away, I emerged from a spiral of impending tragedy. I helped raise two wonderful children, built a successful securities-litigation practice, and became an accomplished cyclist. I began to take my mental wellness for granted. “

Princeton alum Cameron Stout shared his experience with depression with his fellow Tigers in Princeton’s alumni magazine, proving that even the most brilliant and successful among us can be rendered powerless by a chemical imbalance. Stout shares his experience with treatment and how working with mental health professionals helped him to come out on the other side of depression.

6.  I Can’t Get Out of My Sweat Pants: An Essay on Depression  by Marisa McPeck-Stringham

“Sometimes, when the depression got really bad in junior high, I would come straight home from school and change into my pajamas. My dad caught on, and he said something to me at dinner time about being in my pajamas several days in a row way before bedtime. I learned it was better not to change into my pajamas until bedtime. People who are depressed like to hide their problematic behaviors because they are so ashamed of the way they feel. I was very ashamed and yet I didn’t have the words or life experience to voice what I was going through.”

McPeck-Stringham discusses her experience with depression and an eating disorder at a young age; both brought on by struggles to adjust to major life changes. The author experienced depression again in her adult life, and thankfully, she was able to fight through the illness using tried-and-true methods until she regained her mental health.

7.  This is what depression feels like  by Courtenay Harris Bond

“The smallest tasks seem insurmountable: paying a cell phone bill, lining up a household repair. Sometimes just taking a shower or arranging a play date feels like more than I can manage. My children’s squabbles make me want to scratch the walls. I want to claw out of my own skin. I feel like the light at the end of the tunnel is a solitary candle about to blow out at any moment. At the same time, I feel like the pain will never end.”

Bond does an excellent job of helping readers understand just how difficult depression can be, even for people who have never been through the difficulty of mental illness. Bond states that no matter what people believe the cause to be—chemical imbalance, childhood issues, a combination of the two—depression can make it nearly impossible to function.

“Once again, I spiraled downward. I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t work. I had thoughts of harming myself. This time, my husband urged me to start ECT much sooner in the cycle, and once again, it worked. Within a matter of weeks I was back at work, pretending nothing had happened. I kept pushing myself harder to show everyone that I was “normal.” I thought I had a pattern: I would function at a high level for many years, and then my depression would be triggered by a significant event. I thought I’d be healthy for another ten years.”

Super shares her experience with electroconvulsive therapy and how her depression recurred with a major life event despite several years of solid mental health. Thankfully, Super was able to recognize her symptoms and get help sooner rather than later.

7 Writing Prompts on Essays About Depression

When writing essays on depression, it can be challenging to think of essay ideas and questions. Here are six essay topics about depression that you can use in your essay.

Depression can be difficult to define and understand. Discuss the definition of depression, and delve into the signs, symptoms, and possible causes of this mental illness. Depression can result from trauma or personal circumstances, but it can also be a health condition due to genetics. In your essay, look at how depression can be spotted and how it can affect your day-to-day life. 

Depression diagnosis can be complicated; this essay topic will be interesting as you can look at the different aspects considered in a diagnosis. While a certain lab test can be conducted, depression can also be diagnosed by a psychiatrist. Research the different ways depression can be diagnosed and discuss the benefits of receiving a diagnosis in this essay.

There are many possible causes of depression; this essay discusses how depression can occur. Possible causes of depression can include trauma, grief, anxiety disorders, and some physical health conditions. Look at each cause and discuss how they can manifest as depression.

There are many different types of depression. This essay topic will investigate each type of depression and its symptoms and causes. Depression symptoms can vary in severity, depending on what is causing it. For example, depression can be linked to medical conditions such as bipolar disorder. This is a different type of depression than depression caused by grief. Discuss the details of the different types of depression and draw comparisons and similarities between them.

Certain genetic traits, socio-economic circumstances, or age can make people more prone to experiencing symptoms of depression. Depression is becoming more and more common amongst young adults and teenagers. Discuss the different groups at risk of experiencing depression and how their circumstances contribute to this risk.

Social media poses many challenges to today’s youth, such as unrealistic beauty standards, cyber-bullying, and only seeing the “highlights” of someone’s life. Can social media cause depression in teens? Delve into the negative impacts of social media when writing this essay. You could compare the positive and negative sides of social media and discuss whether social media causes mental health issues amongst young adults and teenagers.

This essay question poses the question, “can anyone experience depression?” Although those in lower-income households may be prone to experiencing depression, can the rich and famous also experience depression? This essay discusses whether the privileged and wealthy can experience their possible causes. This is a great argumentative essay topic, discuss both sides of this question and draw a conclusion with your final thoughts.

When writing about depression, it is important to study examples of essays to make a compelling essay. You can also use your own research by conducting interviews or pulling information from other sources. As this is a sensitive topic, it is important to approach it with care; you can also write about your own experiences with mental health issues.

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

FAQs On Essays About Depression

According to the World Health Organization, about 5% of people under 60 live with depression. The rate is slightly higher—around 6%—for people over 60. Depression can strike at any age, and it’s important that people who are experiencing symptoms of depression receive treatment, no matter their age. 

Suppose you’re living with depression or are experiencing some of the symptoms of depression. In that case, it’s important to work closely with your doctor or another healthcare professional to develop a treatment plan that works for you. A combination of antidepressant medication and cognitive behavioral therapy is a good fit for many people, but this isn’t necessarily the case for everyone who suffers from depression. Be sure to check in with your doctor regularly to ensure that you’re making progress toward improving your mental health.

If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

Amanda has an M.S.Ed degree from the University of Pennsylvania in School and Mental Health Counseling and is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer. She has experience writing magazine articles, newspaper articles, SEO-friendly web copy, and blog posts.

View all posts

• Campus Culture
• High School
• Top Schools

Addressing Depression in Your Personal Statement

• college application essays
• essay topic

Did you know 20% of teenagers experience depression before reaching adulthood? It is also during this time that college applicants have to answer the most intimate question in order to gain acceptance at their dream school. What defines you?

While it may feel extremely vulnerable to talk about your experience with depression, don’t let that immediately deter you from choosing it as your personal statement essay topic. Here are 5 examples that may help you approach the topic in an essay:

UC Irvine ‘17

Throughout the past few years, I have gone through depression. The inability to focus not only in school, but also in life, is something I have struggled to overcome. The majority of the time, I am able to successfully distinguish my emotions from my academics because of my overly organized tendencies. At other times, the feelings that come with depression are inevitable. Depression, for me, is hopelessness. My biggest struggle with depression is not being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel; therefore, this way of thinking has caused me to feel unmotivated, alone, and frightened. Because of this, I have spent endless nights contemplating my life till 4 or 5 in the morning, I have no motivation to wake up in the mornings, and I feel pain and grief on a daily basis. Keep reading.

Brittanybea

Uc berkeley ‘19.

On a warm August morning I sat shivering and shaking in the waiting room to my doctor’s office. I had my mother make the appointment but didn’t give her the reason; I’m not even sure I really knew the reason. I just knew something was wrong. The past five years had been all uphill - outwardly, at least. I was doing increasingly well in school, growing more independent, and had greater opportunities at my feet. Inwardly, however, was an entirely different story. Those five years felt like an upbeat movie I was watching while in my own personal prison. I was happy for the characters, even excited for their accomplishments. The problem was that my outward self was a character entirely distinct from the internal me. View full essay.

869749923096609FB

Williams college ‘19.

Perhaps the greatest blessing my parents have ever granted me was the move from our apartment in the Bronx to a two-family home in Queens, two blocks away from a public library. The library had all the boons my young heart could desire: bounties of books, air conditioning in the summer, and sweet solace from a dwelling teeming with the cries of an infant sister, a concept I couldn’t yet fathom. Read more.

When I was younger, people chided me for being pessimistic. It was my sincere belief that there were no rewards to be reaped from a life here on earth. I was bored, unhappy, and apathetic. War, injustice, environmental collapse, the mean thing X said to me the other day-it all made me see the world as a tumultuous and unpleasant place. Continue reading.  

879216135461584FB

Dish soap, pepper, a toothpick, and an empty pie tin. The first materials I ever used to perform a simple experiment in grade school. Looking back that would be the moment I fell in love with science. I can still feel the excitement I felt as I watched as the pepper dart off to the edges of the pie tin as I touched the water with the end of a soap coated toothpick. Though I didn’t have to question how or why the reaction happened, I never stopped wondering. It was then that a passion for science ignited in me. It was a fire in my soul that could never die out. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong. As I grew older, the fire within me began to dim and in the year 2012, it became extinguished; the world as I knew it had ended. View full profile.

While this essay topic helped these students gain acceptances to UC Irvine , UC Berkeley , Williams , Vassar and NYU , it doesn’t mean it will work in the exact same way for you. Brainstorm and think carefully about what you want to write in your personal statement and how you want to share your own, unique story. For more inspiration, AdmitSee has a database of 60,000+ successful college applications files waiting for you! 

About The Author

Frances was born in Hong Kong and received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. She loves super sad drama television, cooking, and reading. Her favorite person on Earth isn’t actually a member of the AdmitSee team - it’s her dog Cooper.

Browse Successful Application Files

Last week, Prompt's CEO shared what mistakes to avoid in your college essay. In Part 2 of this two-part blog series, learn how to pick an essay topic. The key: focus on an admissions officer’s...

With an otherwise great college application, how important can college essays really be? When only 1 in 5 students applying to selective colleges have compelling essays, make sure you avoid this essay mistake....

In this second part of his two-part series, college admissions coach Justin Taylor explains key admissions lessons from 2020, an unprecedented year of firsts, that can help you strategize as we enter into this next application...

In Part one of this two-part series, college admissions coach Justin Taylor explains key lessons about 2020, “a year like no other,” that could seriously boost your chances in 2021, including smarter list building and transcript GPA...

We are so excited to announce that for this year’s scholarship, we selected five scholarship winners to maximize the impact of our $5,000 college scholarship prize money....

• 1. Webinar Series: College Application Prep for High School Juniors
• 2. College Application Lessons from 2020-2021: Strategizing through Covid Changes (Part 2)
• 3. College Admissions Lessons from 2020-2021: Strategizing through Covid Changes (Part 1)

• 5. COVID-19 and Your College Essay: Should You Write About It?
• 6. College Search: How to Find Your Best College Fit
• 7. College Tours 101: Everything You Need to Know
• 8. Waitlisted? 5 Ways to Move from the College Waitlist to Acceptance
• 9. When (and why) should you send additional materials to colleges you’re interested in?
• 10. How to Make Your College Essay Stand Out
• 1. How to Write College Essays to Boost your Chances Part 2: Focusing the Priority
• 2. How to Write College Essays to Boost your Chances Part 1: Biggest Essay Mistakes
• 3. College Application Lessons from 2020-2021: Strategizing through Covid Changes (Part 2)
• 5. Winners of the AdmitSee 2020 College Scholarship
• 6. COVID-19 and Your College Essay: Should You Write About It?
• 7. Education, Access and Systemic Racism
• 8. Applying to BS/MD Direct Medical Programs: Why Early Med School Admission Might be Right for You
• 9. How to Get Off the College Waitlist (5 Go-To Strategies)
• 10. College admissions prep during the Coronavirus

Writing Your College Essay About Depression

So, you want to know how to write your college essay about Depression. Perhaps you don’t know if writing your college essay about Depression would even be allowed, or if it would disqualify you. To not waste your time, we’re going to provide our professional opinion on this.

Long story short: yes, you may write about Depression in your college admissions. However, there are certain limits that must be drawn.

There are also instances when writing about your Depression may actually increase your chances of acceptance. Though, you need to write your essays correctly for this to work.

We’ll cover these in detail below.

How to Write Your College Essay About Depression

Table of Contents

When is it Okay to Write About Mental Illness in College Essays?

When can i write about mental illness or abuse in my college essays is it too much, don’t just write about depression. write about the effects., does my depression justify my low grades in the college admissions process.

• Write About How Depression and Your Overcoming/Coping Makes You a Suitable Candidate.

Example College Essay About Depression

Let’s not waste any time and get right to the point again!

It is okay to write about mental illness and Depression in your college essay as long as it proves that you’re a suitable student. Thus, you should be asking yourself, “how does my experience with mental illness or Depression make me a strong candidate?”

First, let’s look at what makes a great candidate to begin with. To do this, you’ll need to turn off your student brain and turn on the business brain. Although colleges are not businesses –some for-profit ones are, though– they definitely function like one. You can think of the admissions process at a university as a calculator for ROI (Return of Investment). That means the admissions office determines which students to pick based on the applicants they believe to have the most potential for success in their school.

Let’s take this example:

Take a look at the stats both Joshua Liu and Amy Alvarado have. If you were an admissions officer looking into this, which person seems to be more impressive?

Well, it’s not quite easy to differentiate between the two since these are only surface-level stats. However, at first glance, we can see that Amy Alvarado seems rather impressive. Despite her being diagnosed with Depression, Amy Alvarado defies both gender and cultural expectations and aims for computer science. In addition, she also manages to earn a 3.7 GPA whilst coping with her Depression.

As an admissions officer, you would be wise to invest your time and money on educating Amy Alvarado at your institution. She has potential considering her disadvantages. In other words, you can write your college essay about depression if you have strong attributes to your application which demonstrate a significant disadvantage. Maybe you have a decent GPA, or you performed well as a musician in your school’s orchestra despite your depression. Now, this is not the only reason you may write about depression in your college essay.

Let’s deconstruct another example:

Notice the difference between June and Amy. June does not have any strong attributes such as extracurriculars, or strong academics, just low-mid range grades and Depression. However, just because she does not have strong academics does not mean she should avoid writing about Depression in her college essay entirely. If she is capable of convincing the admissions officers that she can perform well despite her Depression, then it may serve to show she is more capable than her grades show.

So, in general, you can write your college essay about Depression. If you have strong grades or extracurriculars, your Depression may serve to show you have untapped potential. If you do not have that, and only have lower grades and Depression, then you will need to describe how you are a strong candidate despite your Depression in your application essays.

Remember: with the rise of mental instability amongst students, mental stability is becoming a more critical factor in the admissions process than ever before. This brings us to the next point!

Just how much is too much? Can I write about how I cut myself in my college essays? Can I write about my eating disorder in my college essays, or traumas such as sexual abuse?

For obvious reasons, there are instances when situations are just “too much” to share. There are moments when writing about your traumatic experiences or Depression CAN be too much personal information. The keyword is this: “can”. Though, how do you know when it’s too much?

You know you should not write about your mental illness or Depression if it poses too strong a possibility that you are unable to perform well in your academic career. So, for instance, you may have experienced long-term traumas that haunt you even today. They may pose a great danger to your academic performance and even your overall college experience.

It is important to only talk about Depression or mental illnesses if and only if you are capable of proving that you can both cope with it now and in the future.

Please also note that these are not hard and fast rules. It is entirely possible for students to be accepted despite having admitted instability. You just want to make sure that, when writing your college essay about Depression, you write it to your advantage and not your disadvantage. Now, how does one do that? We’ll get to that in the next 3 points below.

If you want to write your college essay about Depression without turning the admissions officers away, you need to write about the effects Depression had on you. This can encompass both the negative effects (obstacles it presented to you) as well as the positive (ways in which you’ve grown).

When writing about the effects Depression had on you in your essay, make sure always to turn back to the positives. There are two reasons for this: one, we don’t want to end on a negative note and leave a sour impression on the admissions officers; two, we want to demonstrate to admissions officers of our growth over time.

Here’s an example of a good way you can write about the effects of Depression in your college essay.

Negative effects of Depression (obstacles presented):

• Made it difficult to feel motivated.
• Lowered your grades in school.
• Couldn’t stay focused due to negative emotion.
• Brought upon turmoil in family life.

Positive effects of Depression (ways in which you’ve grown):

• Originally had crippling shyness, but overcame it.
• Started off with no real goals, but led yourself self-discovery.
• Couldn’t find meaning in your life, but became more connected with spiritual self over time.
• Learned to overcome hardships such that future ones will not be too hard.

The key takeaway here is that these effects are typically all negative, and that makes sense. Depression typically doesn’t have positive effects. However, we want to turn our negative into a positive by demonstrating how the effects of Depression underscore our positive attributes. Sometimes it highlights our ability to overcome unbearable emotional strain, or it helps us mature faster than we could have otherwise.

With all this positivity, let’s tackle one of the big questions? Does Depression justify low grades? Or, will the college admissions officers judge my grades similarly to others without Depression?

Here it is; the question we’ve all been waiting for: does depression justify low grades in the college admissions process? Like most things in this world other than physics and the IRS, it depends.

If you are formally diagnosed with Depression, the admissions officers will certainly take extra consideration into your application. They may be more lenient on your grades, especially if you explain how Depression affected the lower grades in your classes. However, you need to be specific. If your Depression negatively impacted your performance in your AP Chemistry class, write about that in your college essays!

It is important, however, that you do not use Depression as a scapegoat for your insufficiencies. This would include using it to pick straws at reasons you underperformed instead of providing a valid reason.

If you were not diagnosed with Depression but have suffered extreme hardship to the degree that you’ve had symptoms similar to Depression, you will need to write that in your essay. However, note that you won’t have a formal diagnosis backing you up in your college apps. As such, you will need to approach your essays with extra caution.

We highly recommend getting hyper specific about the details of your Depression. If you can articulate the details behind your Depression as well as what may have started it, you may help the admissions officers see a clearer image of why your grades suffered. We’ve seen many times when our clients did not seem to have a good explanation for their lower grades. However, their explanation after 2-3 calls justified their grades much more.

Write About How Overcoming/Coping With Depression Makes You a Suitable Candidate.

So, Depression itself does not automatically make you a suitable candidate for university. It may help admissions officers understand more about you, and even have more sympathy for shortcomings in your academic performance. However, we don’t just want to settle with a good college application. We want something great; it needs to stand out amongst the rest.

To do this, you’ll need to talk about your experience overcoming and coping with Depression. By writing your college essay about Depression and your journey overcoming it, you will share valuable character traits with the admissions officers. Your path to overcoming Depression serves as a reminder that you are working at a disadvantage compared to other students. It also shows that you are capable of withstanding great pressure and bearing with it.

Roughly speaking, you need to find a narrative that weaves in your strong traits that come as a result of your depression. Let’s take a look at a few examples below.

Examples of how writing your college essay about Depression and overcoming it can be strong:

• After having lost many friends transitioning into a new school, I sunk into a deep Depression. I’ve learned, however, how to make friends in a new and scary situation. Overcoming my Depression gave me the strength of character to become brave; this bravery helped me make new friends, and I hope to do the same at Vanderbilt University.
• The struggles of living in a strictly conservative household made self expression as a woman impossible. I sunk into a deep Depression, and had to learn how to discover my own version of femininity outside the bounds of their conventional ideals. This meant having to stand up for myself despite great fear. Despite my Depression making me quiet and obedient, I found that my overcoming it made me strong enough to both become more independent and discover my own version of femininity. My journey is far from over, though. I would like to continue this path to self development at the University of California.
• I used to think of myself as a person guided by logic alone, someone who worshipped the logos. “I don’t get emotional, it’s pointless.” and “There’s no point in being sad.” were common philosophies. It wasn’t until I started to listen to the works of Dr. Alok Kanojia that I discovered my “logical mind” was really a coping mechanism for feeling emotion. Ever since being traumatized by my negative relationship with my narcissistic step-mother, I shut off all emotion in an attempt to immunize myself from the pain. This coupled with her irrationality made me gravitate toward logic and reason as a safe space from her abuse. When I discovered this in my mental substructure, my psyche was split in two: I had my logical and emotional brain. In my journey overcoming Depression, I also rekindled my relationship with my emotional self. This helped me become less robotic, and even helped me perform better in my academics overtime –hence the upward trend from sophomore through junior year. Should I be accepted into the University of Southern California, I will certainly translate my newfound knowledge into my academics here.

In all of these examples, we’ve used Depression to underscore the positive attributes in an applicant. The act of overcoming Depression, or at least coping with it, can highlight many strong characteristics. Just remember to emphasize that you are an emotionally stable and functioning adult when writing your college essay about Depression, as that will be a major factor that can make or break your application.

“Rain. Rain. Go away; or, so I’d normally think. Except, there was nothing more comforting than the sound of rain. It was August. It was a strange time for heavy rain, but blessed during such a dry time nonetheless. California could use it. I am the only son of both a lawyer and a nurse. I was conditioned for what they considered success since I could remember. I never had to worry about what clothes to wear nor what food to eat. I had everything in life. Yet, in some outrageous act of irrational ingratitude, I still find myself struggling with depression. I wasn’t surprised by the diagnosis; yet, I was. My mother and father were caring and understanding with the utmost empathy. I had everything. My family didn’t even give me the quintessential ‘just get over your depression’ that so constitutes commonplace family psychology. They were right. They handled everything as they normally should. I had nothing to blame. I only had my privilege and my depression. So, why was I like this? I was depressed because rain falls. It was the rain during that hot, humid, rain in California. My family and I were on a roadtrip that took us to a small town with cute shops, overpriced hemp goods, and boba shops. My family stopped by a coffee shop, and I took the time to get distracted by a tiny bookstore. I opened a copy of a piece titled ‘The Portrait of a Lady’. I thought maybe if I stared off into space for effect, maybe it would qualify my depressiveness and perhaps validate my sadness. It didn’t. I thought perhaps my book could distract me. It didn’t. The rain grew louder. It was beginning to pour. I stared out the window. Asymmetrical droplets left traces of water in inconsistent patterns across a see-through canvas, leaving transparent streaks. Why did it even matter? Why did I care? Why would I not? Then, in that instance of moment of critical introspection, it did not dawn on me. Nope. I didn’t become enlightened by rain like what happens in a haiku. Nothing happened. The rain didn’t even have any sort of magical effect. It just… rained. It rained because that’s all rain can do and was made to do. And, it shouldn’t have to be anything. It just is. Just like my depression, there is neither why nor could nor ought to be. I just happen to be depressed as rain just happens to fall. And, like rain, so too will my depression pass and let forth sunlight once again.” Example College Essay About Depression

Writing your college essay about depression is not easy. It’s a contentious topic, which is why we highly recommend speaking with a college admissions essay expert. Contact us for a free consultation , and our admissions essay experts will get back to you within 24 hours.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

College Essay Editing Services From Professionals

Sign up for a free 30-minute phone consultation. we'll get back to you within 24 hours.

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

Should You Talk About Mental Health in College Essays?

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Shravya Kakulamarri in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

What’s Covered:

What are you required to disclose in your application.

• Should You Include Mental Health History in Your Application?

How to Talk about Mental Health in College Applications

Taking care of your health in college.

Many students wonder if they should discuss mental health or disability in their college applications. Mental health history or a disability might be an integral part of who a student is, but that doesn’t necessarily make it relevant to a college application. Keep in mind that it is actually illegal for colleges to ask for these types of details about your life because it can be considered discrimination. So, colleges will never directly ask if you’ve had any sort of mental health issue or if you’ve ever had a disability. Based on this reason alone, you are not required to disclose mental or physical health concerns on your application. 

Disclosing your mental or physical health is strictly a matter of personal choice. If you leave out this information, it is not lying and 100% within your legal right to do so. 

Should You Include Mental Health History in Your Application? 

Before you choose whether to disclose your history of mental health or disability, you should think about the purpose of a college application. Everything that you put in your college application should contribute to an overall positive image of who you are as a student and member of the community. 

You usually don’t want to hide integral parts of who you are, but you also don’t want to be sharing challenges that are not going to strengthen your application. This is true not only for mental health or disabilities but also for academics, extracurriculars, and other experiences. Normally, students don’t bring up the time that they got a C or D in a class on their application. Everything that you include on your application should paint the most positive image of you possible. You always want to put your best foot forward and keep the focus on your strengths. 

You don’t want colleges to doubt your ability to succeed and perform well under pressure. If you mention any mental health concerns, they might use that as a way to question if you will do well at their school and be able to handle their rigorous course load. While colleges are supportive of their students’ mental health challenges and provide resources and services, you don’t want their first impression of you on your application to be something that makes them uncertain of your abilities. So, keep this in mind when deciding whether to disclose your mental health history. 

If you decide to include your mental health or disability history in your application , there are specific aspects of your experience that you should focus on. Rather than talking about the mental illness itself, focus more on the recovery and management aspects and what you have learned from the experience. 

Discuss things like how you have grown and the coping methods that you have cultivated due to the experience. These will give the admissions officer an idea of the types of strategies that you’ll likely use in college anytime that you encounter a stressful situation. 

Overall, if you choose to talk about mental health in your applications, focus on the learning and growth that you’ve gained because of it. 

Mental health is an important part of your well-being, and it’s essential to start good habits in high school . This way, you’ll be better prepared to cope when you face new challenges in college. You’ll likely be experiencing living on your own for the first time and have new responsibilities without the same support system that you had at home. It’s crucial to learn how to take care of your mental health early.

Fortunately, most students will have many resources at college to help them through mental health challenges. If you’re dealing with any mental health struggles, there is usually an office of wellness where you can schedule a time to see a therapist. This is usually provided with your school’s health insurance. If this is something that you are concerned about for your college experience, make sure to look into what mental health resources each college provides before applying. 

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Is it OK to discuss mental health in an essay?

Mental health struggles can create challenges you must overcome during your education and could be an opportunity for you to show how you’ve handled challenges and overcome obstacles. If you’re considering writing your essay for college admission on this topic, consider talking to your school counselor or with an English teacher on how to frame the essay.

Also Found On

Depression: Should I Talk about My Mental Illness in My Application?

Written by Mary Sue Youn on September 2nd, 2017

• college admissions advice ,
• college applications ,
• First of all, know that you are not alone. According to recent studies by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health anxiety and depression are the most common mental illnesses seen by college counseling centers. In fact, there has been a 30% increase in counseling center utilization on campus over the last five years. Please know that many students struggle with similar issues and colleges are accustomed to these inquiries.
• Don’t be afraid to talk about your struggles in your application. Students dealing with mental illness in high school have often demonstrated tremendous fortitude in overcoming their challenges and carrying on with their schooling. However, frequent absences or substantial dips in grades are noticed during an application review. As an admissions officer, I strongly preferred to hear the reasons behind these anomalies directly from the student, rather than their teacher or guidance counselor. In fact, our counseling center showed us that students who could openly talk about their mental illness and advocate for themselves and what they needed were much more likely to have positive outcomes in the college setting. I particularly advise students to write about their depression if there was a significant change in grades or time away from school while undergoing treatment. Contrary to popular belief, mental illness was not seen in the admission office as a reason to deny the student, but provided necessary context for the admission reader about that student’s high school experience.
• Do realize that you are more than your mental illness—and your main essay should reflect that. The main personal statement of your application should be an expression of your unique personality and interests. Are you a scientist, a writer, an artist? Are you funny, do you love to debate, or are you a meticulous researcher? Your main essay should reflect the wonderful qualities that you bring to any college campus, not only your depression. A statement about your treatment for depression is usually most appropriate for the Additional Information section on the Common Application , or for a supplemental essay in a college’s own portion of the application. Keep the statement short (1-2 paragraphs at most), and focus on the coping skills you’ve developed from treatment that will serve you well in college.
• Be aware of campus resources before you head off to college officially. Ask questions about counseling centers when you visit campus, or give them a call if you are unable to visit. Many campuses provide individual or group therapy on campus, while others refer students to work with therapists local to the area. Even if you are not currently experiencing depressive symptoms, it is important to know what’s available should your depression reoccur during the stresses of college life. The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) has a wonderful college guide resource to get you started .

amet, adipisicing elit sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt?

Follow these pre-application steps to help your student stay on track for admissions success., related resources.

Read | Posted on April 16th, 2024

Understanding Direct Admission: A Pathway to Success

Read | Posted on April 10th, 2024

Acceptance by Emi Nietfeld; Why You Should Fill out the FAFSA

Read | Posted on April 9th, 2024

Community Colleges with Campus Housing

Browse categories.

• Applying For Financial Aid
• Choosing The Right College
• College Admissions Consulting
• College Applications
• College Coach Mentionables: News & Events
• College Entrance Exams
• College Essays
• College Loan Advice
• College Visits
• Finding Scholarships
• How To Pay For College
• Meet a College Finance Expert
• Meet An Admissions Counselor
• Uncategorized

Interested?

Call 877-402-6224   or complete the form for information on getting your student started with one of our experts.

Clinical psychology

• Anxiety disorders
• Feeding and eating disorders
• Mood disorders
• Neuro-developmental disorders
• Personality disorders
• Affirmations
• Cover Letters
• Relationships
• Resignation & Leave letters

Psychotherapy

Personality.

Table of Contents

Mention depression in your college essay? (yes or no)

As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.

The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter.  The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.

In this article, we will explain if you should mention depression in your college essay or not, and other important points to remember while writing your college essay.

Mention depression in a college essay?

College essays are meant to provide an insight into your personality that your academic transcripts and certificates do not. They are a way for you to introduce yourself to the college committee. That is why it is important to mention what is your core personality and who you are as a person. If you feel that depression is now a part of you, something that has changed you and has helped you to grow then you should mention it. College administrators and individuals who will review your college essays know that a lot of students these days experience depression and therefore are accepting of it rather than seeing it as an undesirable trait. 

In addition, they accept the possibility that students may sometimes use the services of professional essay writing services if they are experiencing psychological problems.

Reasons to mention depression in your college essay

In case you wish to mention depression in your college essay here are some reasons why you should:

It impacted your high school experience

Your academic performance suffered, to explain a gap year or period, you wish to highlight how you overcame it, to show how you turned your weakness into your strength, it defines you as a person, to highlight how you handle your mental health now.

You shouldn’t just mention your depression in your college essay unless it impacted your high school experience. In case because of depression, you felt that you were unable to participate in the school extracurricular activities or were not able to enjoy it as much as others. Then you can mention it, but ensure that its impact was quite significant in nature. Another reason to mention your depression in your college is to highlight how high school can be a little difficult for some individuals and how it affects one’s mental health negatively. But ensure that you are not blaming the education system but providing a viewpoint.

In case you were unable to perform well academically due to depression, then you can mention it in your college essay. You can provide an explanation as to why your academy performance suffered so much while reassuring the committee that you have bounced back from it and won’t let it affect your college grades now. Especially if you were a student who used to score very high marks and in a particular year were not able to score as much. In case there are inconsistencies between your grades you can use your college essay and an explanation platform for it.

In case you took a gap year or period during your school or after your high school ended you can mention your depression in your college essay. Be sure to explain how and why it was necessary for you to take this year, build upon your mental health and how you were able to successfully overcome depression after taking this gap year. Mention how you felt during this time of period and how other people like your family members, friends and classmates help you with it. Mention how your experience during the gap years was, what other activities did you learn or do during this time period, be sure to mention any internship or course that you did. 

A reason to mention depression in your college is it could be to illustrate your journey on how you overcame depression. You could mention the feelings and the emotions that you went through during this time, how your family and friends helped you, and what different activities did you engage in to help with depression. You could also mention your journey of self-realization during the therapy sessions or how going through depression changed your outlook on life and the world in general.

You can mention depression in your college essay to show them how you turned your weakness into your strength, that is how you overcame depression, and rather than seeing it as a mistake turned it into a learning experience. Mention what you learned during this time of yours and how your outlook towards life is no different from before. 

If you feel that you are a different person because of depression you can mention it in your college essay explaining what changes it brought in you. In the essay explain what type of a person you were before and how depression changed things about you that you are now proud of. Be sure to only mention in your college essay if you feel that it has changed you and the definition of who you are. Explain your journey from your older self to new you and highlight what realizations you mean about yourself.

If you feel that you are more and better equipped at handling your mental health and actively taking steps to improve it even now, mention your depression in your college essay. In case you have started ensuring that you do yoga or practice mindfulness, take out time to explore your hobbies then it is a good idea to mention these things in your college essay.

Points to remember when you want to mention depression in your college essay

Here are a few points that you must remember while writing and mentioning depression in your college essay:

You are not alone

It is okay to talk about your struggles, you are more than just being depressed, focus on your coping skills, research about your college’s counseling services.

Remember that you’re not alone and that many students just like you have also struggled through depression and gotten into college. College administrators know that and know how tough it can be to deal with and overcome depression. Knowing that you have gone through something as life-changing as depression and come and be able to come out of it. It takes a lot of courage and strength to be able to do that. You are understood and wanted by colleges based on who you are now. 

Depression is not an easy thing to go through and it is even harder to overcome it and begin to rebuild your life. It is okay to talk about your struggles, you’re weak moments and times when it was tough for you. Be confident about your life journey and the obstacles that you have faced. There is nothing for you to hide or be ashamed of. Be comfortable in talking and expressing about depression as it will show your maturity and how well you can handle adversities in life.

Remember that depression is something that happened to you and that it does not define who you are. You’re more than just being depressed you’re also all your other personalities and traits. Just like if a person has a cough we do not say that they are “cough”, similarly you had or have depression but you are not “depression”. Do not let depression be the only thing that defines you as you are much more than that.

While writing the college essay be sure to mention what different coping skills and mechanisms did you use to overcome depression. Don’t let the college essay just be about your struggles and the problems that you faced. Mention how you tackled them and overcame them. The faculty is more interested in knowing how you deal with difficulties and problems in life rather than which problem you faced. So let your essay be more about the coping skills that you have used and the new ones that you developed because of depression rather than talking just about the downfalls that depression caused.

While applying to a college ensure that you go through the website properly and research as to what counseling services your college provides in case you have difficulty keeping up with the curriculum and college life. This will also help you have an understanding of what your college’s approach to mental health is. If the college has a proper counseling center where 24*7 help is available. It indicates that the college is aware of the importance of mental health and is working actively to ensure that the students are given the proper treatment and care they wish for.

In this article, we explained if you should mention depression in your college essay or not, and other important points to remember while writing your college essay.

BetterHelp: A Better Alternative

Those who are seeking therapy online may also be interested in BetterHelp . BetterHelp offers plenty of formats of therapy, ranging from live chats, live audio sessions and live video sessions. In addition, unlimited messaging through texting, audio messages and even video messages are available here.

BetterHelp also offers couples therapy and therapy for teenagers in its platform. Furthermore, group sessions can also be found in this platform, covering more than twenty different topics related to mental health and mental illness. The pricing of BetterHelp is also pretty cost-effective, especially considering the fact that the platform offers financial aid to most users.

FAQs: Mention depression in a college essay? 

Is it okay to write about depression in a college essay.

It is okay to write about depression in a college essay when you are mentioning it to explain an inconsistency in your academic records. For example, explaining a gap year or drop in grades.

Is it OK to write about mental health in college essays?

It is ok to write about mental health in college essays, but avoid making it the main essay. You can mention it if you deem it to be very important. It is preferable if you do not write your main essay about your mental health.

What should you not write your college essay on?

You should not be bragging about your accomplishments and achievements in your college essay. Your transcripts and other certificates will do that for you. Avoid writing about highly sensitive topics and illegal or illicit behaviors you might have been a part of in the past. Also do not write about how lucky you are to be able to apply there.

Is it bad to swear in a college essay?

Yes, it is a terrible idea to swear in a college essay as many articles by college admission boards have mentioned that using profanities in college essays leads to people losing their seats. They consider using swear words a significant mistake that every student must avoid.

What are the best college essay topics?

The best college essay topics are where one shares their life story, how they learned from difficulties in life, when they challenged a long-held belief of theirs or how they grew as an individual. It can mention things that captivate you, people you admire, or any other topic of your choice. 

Do colleges look at mental health records?

It is actually illegal for college to specifically ask for details regarding your mental or physical health. As it is considered discrimination, they can not look at your mental health records.

References 

https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/tackling-depression-anxiety-on-your-college-application-and-beyond

https://www.noodle.com/articles/how-to-discuss-your-mental-health-on-college-applications

https://blog.getintocollege.com/depression-should-i-talk-about-my-mental-illness-in-my-application/

Was this helpful?

Overcome depression and find joy in life again with betterhelp.

Living with depression can feel like an uphill battle, but you don’t have to face it alone.

BetterHelp offers accessible, affordable, and convenient online therapy that can help you manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life. Our licensed therapists specialize in treating depression and can provide you with the personalized support and guidance you need to overcome your challenges.

Whether you’re struggling with feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or fatigue, BetterHelp can help you develop coping strategies, build resilience, and find joy in life again.

Don’t wait to start feeling better – sign up for BetterHelp today and take the first step towards a brighter tomorrow.

Related Posts

How not to gain weight on mirtazapine (9+ amazing tips), why is my postdoc making me depressed, can work on a 3-11 shift lead to depression (+how to cope).

Mental Health in College Students – From Application to Enrollment

August 16, 2022

Sometimes it takes unspeakably tragic events to bring the existence of a widespread problem into the national conversation. In the past decade, highly-publicized suicides at Penn, Hamilton College, MIT, NYU, and Cornell, among others, have moved the discussion of mental health in college students right to the forefront of the higher education discourse.

Thankfully, these are, of course, extreme cases of mental health challenges. However, the shift in focus could benefit the massive numbers of students who enter college each year with depression/anxiety. According to a survey by the CDC in 2022, 44% of American adolescents report feeling persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness; 28% said that they had thoughts of self-harm at some point in their lives. Perhaps even more startling is the fact that only an estimated 40% of those suffering actually receive any form of treatment (the National Institute of Mental Health). According to just about every survey in the world conducted after March 2020, the pandemic has had a profoundly determinantal impact on teens’ (and everybody’s) mental health.

In this piece, we will offer recommendations for dealing with depression/anxiety on your college application. But perhaps more importantly, we will share what mental health experts and current research says are important considerations for managing your illness on campus.

*Disclaimer: Mind you, we are college planning experts, not mental health experts. We are merely summarizing mental health considerations as related to college admissions and attendance. Your mental health provider may offer additional advice based on the specifics of your situation .

Impact on your high school career

For many, dealing with a mental health condition will negatively impact their high school career in some way, potentially impacting areas such as academic performance, school attendance, teacher relationships, and extracurricular involvement. There is ample statistical evidence to support this. For example, students with social phobia are twice as likely to fail a grade as those without. Students with a depression diagnosis have been found to earn significantly lower grades than their similarly-abled peers.

Given the impact of mental illness on a teen’s academics, a significant number of high school seniors are faced with a difficult choice each year—do I reveal my condition on my college application? There is no blanket answer that will guide every applicant. Ultimately, the decision to reveal your condition is an entirely personal one.

Did your academic performance suffer?

Perhaps your mental health issues were managed successfully and never impacted your grades. If this is the case, we advise that there is no reason to reveal your condition on an application. You should, however, still check out our recommendations on how to check out a college’s mental health services (below).

If your academic performance did suffer as a result of your condition and you do choose to share your challenges with prospective colleges in an essay and/or interview, we recommend that you consider framing your experience in one of the following ways:

The “overcoming obstacles” angle

Overcoming challenges and citing evidence of personal growth can be a winning story arc. If a bout of depression during your sophomore year contributed toward failing grades but you received treatment and rebounded academically the following year, then revealing that journey may be extremely helpful to your admissions chances. Knowing that you faced a significant challenge in your life and successfully emerged from it speaks volumes about your resilience, maturity, and grit, traits that are greatly valued by admissions officers.

Weakness as strength

Another approach is highlighting the strength that you draw from what others call an “illness.” An associate of Abraham Lincoln said of our 16th president that the “melancholy dripped from him as he walked.” Yet, many historians feel that Lincoln’s lifelong depression helped sparked his legendary wisdom, insight, and brilliant strategic thinking. Lincoln was hardly alone. Many of the greatest, most creative minds throughout history were, at least in part, driven by mental conditions. Darwin, Michelangelo, and Einstein were all likely sufferers of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. If we were to list all of all the great writers, artists, comedians, actors, and directors who were influenced by depression and anxiety, this blog post would be longer than the 1,017 page novel, Bleak House,  penned by Charles Dickens, who was himself a lifelong victim of severe depression.

The semantic shift

Cautious applicants might consider simply substituting the term “medical condition” for “mental illness.” After all, mental health issues are treatable medical conditions in the same vein as mono or a broken bone. Simply stating that you were afflicted by a “serious medical condition” which caused a temporary academic decline and led to you quitting the school newspaper and the baseball team will suffice.

Check out a college’s services ahead of time

In a recent survey of college students with a diagnosed mental health condition, 45% rated their respective college as being somewhere between supportive and very supportive. The other 55% felt that mental health care on campus was less than ideal. Factors that were rated as being most important by students included: access to a psychiatrist for medication management, a 24-hour crisis hotline, community connections to additional mental healthcare, and the school’s overall culture of understanding that college can be stress-inducing and that mental health is paramount.

It is essential that parents and students research the mental health services on campus ahead of time. Check out each prospective college’s counseling office online to get a sense of what is available to students. If a college does not offer long-term therapy on campus, then parents should take the reins and find a good private therapist located near campus who accepts their insurance. Do this well before school starts.

Colleges are expanding mental health services

Many state universities, despite budget crunches, are recognizing the need to expand their mental health offerings. For example, in the fall of 2017, UCLA began offering free online screenings for depression; 2,700 students took advantage. Ohio State opened a dozen new mental health clinics in 2016. Penn State has increased their spending on mental health significantly in the last few years. The University of Michigan and Virginia Tech, in an attempt to make mental health more accessible, have embedded counselors in buildings around campus, rather than at one centralized location. Many schools operate prevention/wellness programs that assist students before they enter a crisis. These schools include Harvard, Georgia Tech, UVA, and Bowdoin College.

Amherst, Skidmore, Princeton, Drexel, and Carnegie Mellon are just a handful of schools that now offer access to 24-hour crisis hotlines manned by either peers or professional counselors. Unfortunately, excessively long wait times for a counseling appointment at many schools persist. At schools like Northwestern, Carleton College, and WashU, wait times to see a counselor range from one-to-three weeks.

Relevant statistics on mental health at college

Just to highlight some other meaningful stats on the subject:

• Only 50% of college students report disclosing their mental health issue to their school
• Of those with a diagnosed mental illness who dropped out of college, 64% directly attribute this event to their condition/disorder.
• Only 36% of college students with a mental illness are sure that their university includes mental health information on their website.
• 39% of students reported a wait time of 5+ to obtain an appointment for clinical services and supports.
• 73% of those entering college with previous mental health concerns have experienced a “mental health crisis” while on campus.
• Half of students believe that their peers will think less of anyone receiving treatment for mental health.
• The percentage of college students seriously considering suicide has doubled in the last decade.
• More than 1,000 suicides occur on college campuses each year.

College Transitions bottom line

If you are going to discuss your depression, anxiety, or other mental condition in your application, do so in a strategic manner for the purpose of illuminating otherwise unexplained inconsistencies in your academic record. A well-conceived and well-delivered narrative about your struggles with mental illness can be beneficial to your admissions chances. Contrarily, a poorly crafted disclosure may have the opposite effect.

Of even greater importance is that you do your research on the mental health services offered at each prospective college. Ensuring that the necessary supports at your disposal is critical to your overall well-being.  It is also likely critical to your academic performance over the next four years.

To view hundreds of free and easy-to-sort tables of higher education data, visit our DATAVERSE .

• Application Strategies

Andrew Belasco

A licensed counselor and published researcher, Andrew's experience in the field of college admissions and transition spans two decades. He has previously served as a high school counselor, consultant and author for Kaplan Test Prep, and advisor to U.S. Congress, reporting on issues related to college admissions and financial aid.

• 2-Year Colleges
• Best Colleges by Major
• Best Colleges by State
• Big Picture
• Career & Personality Assessment
• College Essay
• College Search/Knowledge
• College Success
• Costs & Financial Aid
• Dental School Admissions
• Extracurricular Activities
• Graduate School Admissions
• High School Success
• High Schools
• Law School Admissions
• Medical School Admissions
• Navigating the Admissions Process
• Online Learning
• Private High School Spotlight
• Summer Program Spotlight
• Summer Programs
• Test Prep Provider Spotlight

“Innovative and invaluable…use this book as your college lifeline.”

— Lynn O'Shaughnessy

Nationally Recognized College Expert

College Planning in Your Inbox

Join our information-packed monthly newsletter.

I am a... Student Student Parent Counselor Educator Other First Name Last Name Email Address Zip Code Area of Interest Business Computer Science Engineering Fine/Performing Arts Humanities Mathematics STEM Pre-Med Psychology Social Studies/Sciences Submit

Personalize Your Experience

Log in or create an account for a personalized experience based on your selected interests.

Already have an account? Log In

Free standard shipping is valid on orders of $45 or more (after promotions and discounts are applied, regular shipping rates do not qualify as part of the $45 or more) shipped to US addresses only. Not valid on previous purchases or when combined with any other promotional offers.

Register for an enhanced, personalized experience.

Receive free access to exclusive content, a personalized homepage based on your interests, and a weekly newsletter with topics of your choice.

Home / Parenting, Kids & Teens / Depression in college students: How to help students manage their mental health

Depression in college students: How to help students manage their mental health

Please login to bookmark.

Parents hope college will be a time for their kids to spread their wings and fly. Yet college students are now experiencing record high rates of depression and anxiety. During the 2022-2023 academic year, 41% of students reported experiencing symptoms of depression and 36% said they experienced anxiety, according to the latest Healthy Minds Study . Understandably, parents want to know what they can do to help their college age kids manage their mental health so depression doesn’t dock their wings.

Any single case of depression can have multiple causes involving a mix of biological, genetic or social factors. However, one common cause of depression in college students is the sheer scope of change that comes with moving on from the familiar world of home and high school, according to Paige I. Partain, M.D., a pediatrician at the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center in Rochester, Minnesota, with expertise in child and adolescent mental health.

In addition to changes in housing and social connections, going to college typically accelerates academic expectations. It also scrambles students’ sleep, diet and exercise patterns. For some college students — even those with no history of depression — having so many facets of their lives suddenly challenged and changed can create enough stress to trigger depression, says Dr. Partain

She adds, however, that it’s important “for parents and students alike to recognize that depression can be totally untriggered.” Sometimes students can be on top of their coursework, getting along with new friends and otherwise outwardly crushing college when they sense that their moods have dipped.

If students are baffled about why they’re feeling down, helping them understand that sometimes depression occurs without an identifiable cause is important. It can help relieve the added burden of wondering what’s wrong with them — or blaming themselves — for feeling depressed.

Says Dr. Partain, “I can’t express enough what a difference it makes when I’m talking to teenagers or young adults in their early twenties and I can explain that sometimes it just happens. It can be even more frustrating when you don’t know why depression happens. But I can see the relief in their eyes. They’re like, ‘Yes, you get it.’ To be able to just empathize and label the phenomena can be incredibly powerful.”

Spotting signs of depression in college students

Along with feeling sad and down, common signs of depression in college kids include:

• Changes in appetite such as eating more or less than usual.
• Sleep disturbances, such as insomnia or sleeping too much.
• Losing in interest in favorite pastimes including playing sports, making art or hanging out with friends. “Isolation is a really key symptom, particularly for teens and young adults,” says Dr. Partain.

People often experience depression and anxiety at the same time , and college kids are no exception. Determining which one came first can be a “chicken or the egg” question, says Dr. Partain. But big shifts in a student’s mood and behavior may indicate underlying depression.

“If your kid is not one who tends to be anxious, and all of a sudden, there’s worry about everything, that might be an indicator of a problem with mood.” On the flip side, she says, if your kid is usually “a type-A go-getter, and normally a little more anxious, and all of a sudden the work isn’t getting done and grades are slipping, that can also be an indicator that there’s a problem with mood.”

Irritability is another common symptom of depression. “We think a lot about feeling sad or down, and that can certainly be the case for a teenager or a young adult. But there is good medical research to suggest that irritability might be an even better indicator of underlying mood problems,” says Dr. Partain. “It’s another textbook symptom to be aware of.”

What to say if your child seems depressed

Sometimes, parents who think their kids might be depressed are wary of butting into their business. Or they may keep quiet because they’re just not sure how to talk about depression. If parents ask Dr. Partain if they should try talking to their child’s friends or professors about their concerns, she advises them not to go around their child’s back.

Rather, Dr. Partain recommends that parents raise their concerns with their kids in a straightforward way. “As you’re trying to help children develop independence and capability — regardless of the dynamic that you have with your child — I advocate for talking with kids directly.”

To get a better sense of how children are feeling, Dr. Partain says it’s fine to initiate the conversation by text with a simple message like this: Just checking in to say I love you. How are you doing? I want to make sure you’re doing okay.

Let them know that you’re concerned and let them respond in their own time.

If your child shares feelings of being depressed or anxious, make it clear that you’re available to help in whatever way works. “You can ask, ‘Do you want my help, or is this something you want to take care of on your own?’ The biggest thing to avoid is invalidating language: ‘You’ll get over it.’ ‘Going to college is just hard,’ ” says Dr. Partain. “Parents might find a slightly different approach for every kid, but they should feel empowered to speak up because parents can play a powerful role in helping children understand what they’re experiencing.”

Help your college kid develop strategies to cope with depression

With college students experiencing depression or anxiety for the first time, parents can share self-care strategies that have been proved to ease symptoms of depression, including:

• Exercising .
• Connecting with friends.
• Eating healthy foods.
• Spending time in nature.
• Getting adequate sleep, as young adults need between seven and nine hours a night
• Finding a community on campus, whether it be with a group of fellow ultimate Frisbee fans or a religious or political organization.

If students are experiencing any kind of acute or prolonged dip in mood, their parents can also encourage them to seek treatment and help them navigate campus mental health resources. As students’ mental health becomes a central part of the conversation on college and university campuses, Dr. Partain says that more schools are preemptively providing students and parents with information about counseling and medical services.

“I encourage all parents to keep that information handy,” she says. “Even if you have a kid who’s done great and never had difficulty with mental health, it’s helpful to know about available resources, so if your child reaches the point of saying, ‘Mom, Dad, what do I do?’ you can help provide answers.”

Parents can also provide important support to students who have a history of depression, Dr. Partain says. If your child is taking an antidepressant, you can ask the healthcare professional to dispense the prescription in a 90-day supply, with refills that can be obtained at a pharmacy near campus.

As students in Dr. Partain’s care are preparing to transition to college, she has a conversation with them about their specific symptoms of depression. She also reviews the self-care strategies that have helped them feel better in the past. “Depression looks different for everyone, and it’s important for students to do the mental exercise of saying, What does it look like for me? Is it that I’m isolating myself? Is it that I’m less talkative? Is it that I’m more irritable? Is it that I don’t enjoy reading anymore?” says Dr. Partain.

The point of the conversation is to help students become more self-aware about what depression looks like for them, and spot early warning signs so they can act quickly to protect their emotional health. She encourages parents and children to have a version of this conversation together, too, and to develop a shared relapse prevention plan.

Then, if students begin to feel depression coming back while they’re away at college, their parents can reinforce whatever self-care strategies have helped get through rough patches before. For students already seeing therapists, noticing an uptick in symptoms can prompt them to reach out to ask for some extra sessions, with help from parents if needed.

“Almost all therapy providers have the ability to treat people who are in crisis or who feel like they’re significantly worsening. The same goes for healthcare professionals if students are on a medication. If I get a message from a college kid saying, ‘My mood is getting a lot worse,’ I’m going to get them seen within a week, and many other healthcare professionals will too,” says Dr. Partain.

Create a crisis plan

If students have had inpatient treatment or thoughts of suicide in any context in the past, it’s also critically important for them and their parents to have shared emergency safety plans. This can be activated if students ever becomes severely distressed again.

“Sometimes, depending on the family dynamic, the safety plan may not include having the child call the parent. The plan for the child may be calling Aunt Jane, or calling Grandma. But it’s really powerful for the parents to be able to reinforce that and say, ‘That’s OK. I want you to be safe,’ ” says Dr. Partain.

A common worry she hears from parents is that discussing suicide may make it more likely that their child will contemplate or attempt suicide. But, she says, there’s no data showing that talking about suicide makes people more likely to attempt it. In fact, it does the opposite : “Talking about it makes it easier for them to seek help in the moment. The way I phrase it to my patients is, ‘I’m really glad that you’re not having those kinds of thoughts. But I know things can change quickly, and this safety plan is just something we want to have in our back pocket.” Parents don’t have to hammer on the subject,” she adds, “but it’s an important conversation to have, and I wouldn’t avoid it.”

Relevant reading

My Life Beyond Diabetes

Emily is excited to go camping in the Northwoods of Minnesota with her family. She makes sure to pack her glucose monitor, insulin and other supplies she’ll need to manage her type 1 diabetes on their trip. Near the campsite she meets Frostbite, a young wolf who can talk. Her…

Discover more Parenting, Kids & Teens content from articles, podcasts, to videos.

Want more children’s health and parenting information? Sign up for free to our email list.

Children’s health information and parenting tips to your inbox.

Sign-up to get Mayo Clinic’s trusted health content sent to your email. Receive a bonus guide on ways to manage your child’s health just for subscribing.

You May Also Enjoy

Privacy Policy

We've made some updates to our Privacy Policy. Please take a moment to review.

• Companies & Schools

Should you discuss mental health issues in your college essay?

by Erica L. Meltzer | Oct 20, 2018 | Blog , College Essays | 6 comments

Image ©Nickshot, Adobe Stock

Note, January 2022: This post was written in 2018, before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Obviously, many things have changed since then, not least the amount of psychological pressure that many high school students have experienced. Clearly, some of the boundaries and expectations surrounding acceptable/advisable topics for admissions essays have shifted, and applicants undoubtedly have more leeway in discussing mental-health issues than they did in the past. That said, I would still caution against making this subject the exclusive focus of your essay(s). If it happens to be relevant—and it very well might be, given the events of the last couple of years— then you should focus on discussing it in a mature way that conveys qualities such as empathy and resilience, and that demonstrates your ability to reflect insightfully on what may have been very difficult situations.  

As regular readers of my blog may know, I periodically trawl the forums over at College Confidential to see what’s trending. Recently, I’ve noticed a concerning uptick in the number of students asking whether it’s appropriate for them to write about mental health issues, most frequently ADD and/or anxiety, in their college applications.

So the short answer: don’t do it.

The slightly longer version:

If you’re concerned about a drop in grades or an inconsistent transcript, talk to your guidance counselor. If these types of issues are addressed, the GC’s letter is the most appropriate place for them. If, for any reason, the GC is unable/unwilling to discuss them and the issues had a significant impact on your performance in school that unequivocally requires explanation, you can put a brief, matter of fact note in the “is there any additional information you’d like us to know?” section, but think very carefully about how you present it. Do not write your main essay about the issue.

The full version:

To understand why these topics should generally be avoided, you need to understand what information colleges are actually seeking to gain from the personal statement. Although it is technically a personal narrative, it is, in a sense, also a persuasive essay: its purpose is to convey what sets you apart from the thousands of others with equally good grades and scores, and to suggest whether you have qualities that make you more likely to thrive at university x than the other 10 or 15 or even 20 applicants clamoring for that spot.

Now, whether such thing can actually be determined from 650 words (with which some students receive significant help) is of course questionable; however, the bottom line is that, adcoms are looking for students who will be successful in college. Discussing one’s inability to focus or intense aversion to social situations does not exactly inspire confidence, even if a student insists those problems have been overcome. Leaving home, dealing with professors and roommates and more challenging classes… Those are all major stressors. There is a tacit understanding that of course some students will flame out, have breakdowns, etc., but adcoms are understandably hesitant to admit anyone who is already at a higher risk for those issues. You want them to be excited about the prospect of admitting you, not debate whether you’ll really be able to handle college. (In fact, I had multiple students with various issues who were not truly ready for college and who did flame out — colleges have good reason to take these things seriously.)

This concern goes beyond any particular student’s well-being: graduation rates get factored into rankings, and every student who doesn’t make it through drags that statistic just a little bit lower. If a student does develop serious problems while on campus, there are also potential legal/liability issues involved, and no school wants to deliberately court those.

Besides, if your grades are iffy, it is extremely difficult not to sound as if you are making excuses. You are much better off talking about an experience or interest that will make them look past the transcript and think, “Hey, I really like this kid.” And the reality is that if your grades are that iffy, you’re probably not a competitive candidate at super-selective colleges anyway. These schools are looking for applicants who are on the way to fulfilling their potential, not for ones who need to explain away chronic underachievement.

In addition, one thing applicants — and sometimes their parents — have difficulty wrapping their heads around is the sheer number of applications the average admissions officer has encountered. Situations that may seem extreme and dramatic to adolescents who have recently confronted them may in fact have already been experienced — and written about — by thousands of other applicants. A 17-year old may believe that describing their anxiety in morbid detail will make them seem complex and introspective, but more likely it will only come off as overwrought and trite.

I know that might sound harsh, but please remember that admissions officers are coming at this process with no pre-existing knowledge of you as a person, only a few minutes to spend on your essay, and hundreds of other applications to get through. They are also under intense pressure to ensure that the appropriate demographics targets are being met and all the various institutional constituencies (coaches, development office, orchestra conductor) are being satisfied. They’re not ogres, and they’ll try to give you the benefit of the doubt, but if yours is the fifth essay about overcoming anxiety they’ve seen in the last 48 hours, they will look at it and reflexively think, “oh, another one of these.” That is not a first impression you want to make.

Now, are there exceptions? Yes, of course, but they are rare. In all the time I did college admissions work, I had exactly one student successfully discuss anxiety in an essay. It was, however, introduced in the context of a family tragedy that had profoundly shaped the student’s life; given that background, the discussion seemed natural and matter of fact rather than overdramatized. Even so, I made the student take a good week to think about whether that topic was truly the one they wanted to write about.

Ultimately, of course, the decision is yours, and the choice depends on the larger story you want to tell as well as your ability as a writer, but these topics are so difficult to pull off well that you are best off avoiding them if you can (particularly if you don’t have access to someone with a lot of admissions experience who can review your essay). Find another topic/ experience that you enjoy writing about (and that others are likely to enjoy reading about); that presents you as someone interesting and thoughtful; and that suggest you are ready to thrive in college.

If you really are concerned about your ability to function in college, most schools have plenty of resources for you to take advantage of (academic support, counseling center, etc.). But those are things to investigate after you get admitted. Before that, don’t go out of your way to fly red flags where none are warranted.

Why is Dyslexia ok to mention on an essay, but overcoming selective mutism is not?

Dyslexia is a learning disability that lends itself to proof that it has been overcome through excellent scores in reading and writing. It’s not easy to overcome or cope with dyslexia so an essay showing how a student did it demonstrates their tenacity and resourcefulness. Grades and scores are proof that the dyslexia will not be a problem in college, while the essay can highlight the characteristics that led to the student’s success and which will serve them well in college.

I wrote about how my dog helped me overcome me ending my life/depression and moving to another school is that too common

Thanks for the tips and perspective. It seems like common sense to me as a parent and tutor, but now I have an “established author” to cite!

I want to write about how depression had change me. But my grades and statistics are all great. Is this okay to write? My bad mental health somehow didn’t manage to get to the others parts of my life.

Is it okay to write about how despite psychosis I could manage to get good grades?

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Yes, add me to your mailing list.

Sign up for the Question of the Day

Question of the Day

Complete SAT/ACT Grammar Rules

Complete GMAT Sentence Correction Rules

AP English Comp Terms, Condensed

10 Tips for Acing SAT Reading

Commas With Names and Titles, Simplified

Why You Won’t Go to Harvard on a National Merit Scholarship

Recent Posts

• Why are SAT and ACT English benchmarks so low?
• “However” vs. “though”: similar, but not the same
• Statement regarding the recent website outage
• Digital SAT math timing, Common Core, and the “deep understanding” trap
• “SAT® Vocabulary: A New Approach” for the Digital SAT is now available!

Posts by Category

• ACT English/SAT Writing (36)
• ACT Essay (8)
• ACT Reading (22)
• College Admissions (44)
• College Essays (2)
• English Proficiency Exams (1)
• Financial Aid (2)
• General Tips (35)
• Grammar (SAT & ACT) (27)
• Issues in Education (69)
• Parents (13)
• Phonics (26)
• Questions (1)
• Reading (SAT & ACT) (20)
• Reading Wars (7)
• SAT Critical Reading (Old Test) (52)
• SAT Essay (13)
• SAT Grammar (Old Test) (30)
• SAT Reading (12)
• SAT vs. ACT (5)
• Students (10)
• Test Optional (1)
• The Digital SAT (12)
• The Mental Game (18)
• The New SAT (59)
• The Science of Reading (9)
• Time Management (7)
• Tutor Interviews (9)
• Tutoring (27)
• Tutors (16)
• Uncategorized (10)
• Vocabulary (17)

Favorite Links

Barry Garelick on Common Core Math

Cogito Zero Sum

Hannah Arendt on The Crisis in Education

Critical Thinking: Why is it So Hard to Teach?

A Don’s Life (Mary Beard’s Blog)

Educational Jargon Generator

EduBabble Bingo

English is Not Normal

Everybody is Stupid Except You

The Fluency Factory

Gary Saul Morson on Anna Karenina

How I Rewired My Brain to Become Fluent in Math

Letter Against Learning Styles

Mercedes Schneider’s EduBlog

MIT Admissions Blog

Reflections on Liberal Education

The Revenge of K-12 Education

Seven Myths About Education

Silent StopWatch (for standardized tests)

The Usefulness of Brief Instruction in Reading Comprehension Strategies

What David Coleman Doesn’t Know About Literature

Why a Great Individual is Better than a Good Team

Should I Mention Depression on My College Application?

Colleges scrutinize applications from troubled students more closely.

Should I Put Depression on My College Apps?

Phil Bliss | TheiSpot.com for USN&WR

Growing up in New York City, Emily Isaac studied Hebrew, performed in school musicals, and played soccer. She fantasized about going to a prestigious university like Harvard and becoming a lawyer for Hollywood celebrities. But her drive and ambition faded when she reached high school. She ignored homework assignments and argued with teachers. Her grades dropped to mostly C's and D's. She was so difficult that she was asked to leave three private schools in two years. Emily says she was angry and depressed over a family member's drug use. At age 17 last fall, she was applying to colleges and had a tough decision to make: How to present herself to admissions officers increasingly wary of troubled students?

Concerned about liability and campus safety in the wake of shootings at Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech, more colleges and universities are scrutinizing the character of applicants. They want to know about students' past behavior, and, if there is any doubt, they will call high school counselors for answers. Admissions officers say "youthful indiscretions" like a schoolyard brawl or an unpaid traffic ticket aren't likely to result in denial letters. But a pattern of troubling behavior could cost someone an admission.

"We're not only admitting students for intellectual reasons but for community reasons," says Debra Shaver, director of admissions at Smith College, a private women's liberal arts school in Massachusetts. "We want to make sure they will be good community members." Smith and other schools acknowledge that making judgments about character is sometimes a messy process. It doesn't involve precise measures like SAT scores or grade-point average. "In some cases, you say, 'This makes me nervous,' and maybe it is an intuition and some reasonable people would disagree, but it goes with the territory," says Bruce Poch, dean of admissions at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif.

Full disclosure. It's not surprising, then, that students like Emily agonize over the decision to disclose personal and academic problems. "We finally hired an independent counselor," says Lisa Kaufman, Emily's mother.

Not all counselors agree on what advice to give families. Some discourage students from bringing up mental illnesses and emotional problems altogether. Others say full disclosure helps when a student's records show poor grades or other inconsistencies that are likely to make colleges suspicious. Shirley Bloomquist, an independent college counselor in Great Falls, Va., says she once called a liberal arts college in Massachusetts to say she was disappointed by its decision to reject an applicant who had written about overcoming a drug addiction. The student had completed a drug rehabilitation program and had been clean for a year. "Colleges are more concerned than ever about student emotional stability," Bloomquist says. "I think it is imperative that the student, the parent, and the high school counselor discuss the situation and decide what should or should not be revealed."

Sally Rubenstone, senior counselor with CollegeConfidential.com and coauthor of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admission, says being forthright about past behavior or mental health problems doesn't mean "The Jerry Springerization of the College Admissions Essay." "Sometimes I have to implore [students] to stay mum," she says. "There are clearly times when personal problems are too personal—or inappropriate—to include in a college essay."

Emily's problems, however, needed airing—but not all of them. For example, she didn't disclose her troubles in middle school because colleges asked only (via the Common Application) about academic and behavioral misconduct in high school. She says she was asked to leave one high school after a confrontation with another student, but the offense was never recorded in her file, so she didn't volunteer that information either. On the advice of her counselor, Emily wrote cover letters and an essay focusing instead on the reasons for her documented troubles in school and how she had grown from those experiences.

Although colleges would know from her transcripts that she had been at a boarding school for troubled teens, Emily didn't explicitly mention depression in her essay. Rubenstone, who served as Emily's counselor in the admissions process, says, "Colleges can run scared when they hear the word depression. " Emily, who got treatment, hoped colleges would pay attention to her improvement instead. "I thought I was taking a risk, but I had faith that people would understand," she says. In one of her cover letters, Emily wrote: "What I am trying to say is that my past no longer dictates my future and that I am a far more capable, hard-working, mature student than depicted in my forms."

Colleges cannot legally deny admission specifically on the basis of mental illness, but it's hard to account for how that characteristic figures into the calculus of who gets in and who doesn't. Admissions officers undoubtedly are aware that the shooters at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois had troubled histories before they applied to school: Indeed, the graduate student responsible for the NIU attack had written about his emotional struggles in adolescence in his admission application. Admissions officers, ever mindful of the diversity on campus, also are aware that reports of depressed college students are on the rise.

Not all colleges offer students a second chance. One high school senior in Tucson, Ariz., with an impressive academic record was rejected by a selective liberal arts college after his counselor says he told the school that the student had been disciplined for smoking marijuana on a field trip. The counselor says he helped the student with his essay, believing that if it struck the right tone and offered a sincere apology and a pledge from the student that he would not make the same mistake again, the essay would persuade the college to admit him. It didn't. "This particular school was trying very hard to diminish its reputation as being 'kind of tolerant of druggies'—the very words used by the college representative," the counselor says.

Barmak Nassirian of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers says too much pressure is being put on college admission officers who lack the expertise to evaluate the seriousness of an offense or an applicant's emotional well-being. In the absence of clear guidelines, Nassirian says, colleges should stop asking about past behavior altogether. "It's very tempting for colleges to say we're excluding the next Jack the Ripper from sitting next to your son or daughter," he says. "But it's really your son or daughter who is getting nabbed and getting nabbed for having done something stupid in high school."

Common Application. That may be the reason that many high schools don't disclose information about a student's disciplinary history. A recent survey of 2,306 public and private high schools found that only 23 percent of schools said they allowed for the disclosure of such information to colleges, 39 percent said they disclose sometimes, and 38 percent said they never do. The results refer to questions asked by about 340 colleges that use the Common Application, which inquires if students have ever been convicted of a crime or been severely disciplined in high school. This year, 347,837 high school students used the Common Application. Of those, only 2 percent said they had a serious discipline problem in high school, and 0.22 percent said they were convicted of a misdemeanor or felony.

It's not clear how many students refuse to answer the questions or conceal their past troubles. In what one admissions counselor sees as a separate, disturbing trend, high schools that once suspended or expelled students for offenses such as academic dishonesty now strike deals with parents and students that result in less severe consequences and no record of the student's indiscretion. One New York student who has been accepted to several competitive schools says he caught a lucky break when the private high school he attended his freshman year decided that rather than expel him, it would let him quietly transfer to another school after he was caught stealing a biology exam. The school told him it would not notify colleges about the incident. At his new high school, the student was suspended for insulting another student. And again he was able to cut a deal with the principal at that school. The student, who requested anonymity, says he was able to "work off" the suspension from his record by performing community service. He says his guidance counselor discouraged him from bringing up either incident on his college applications. "It's not that I wanted to lie," he says. "I just didn't want to lose everything that I've worked so hard for."

If an applicant's school records raise suspicion, colleges say they will make every effort to verify the information. Some, for instance, will turn to Google, Facebook, or another source on the Internet. But it's not clear how thorough most colleges are when high schools don't cooperate. It is often the case, some say, that an anonymous tipster or an upset parent of a child who was not admitted to the school will come forward. Colleges say a high school's refusal to share information could damage the school's relationship with the college, especially in the event that the applicant is admitted and later commits a crime.

Marlyn McGrath Lewis, director of admissions at Harvard, says high schools that knowingly withhold troubling information about applicants will be held responsible. "We're not a detective agency," she says. "We operate on the assumption that schools are behaving honorably." If administrators learn that an applicant has lied, colleges can rescind offers of admission. That's what happened in 1995 when Harvard administrators found out that an admitted applicant had killed her mother when she was 14. The applicant, a straight-A student, had not disclosed the incident in her Harvard application on the advice of her lawyer.

Seth Allen, dean of admissions at Grinnell College, a liberal arts school in Iowa, says colleges expect that students will answer questions about their past behavior truthfully and completely. "We want to understand if you slipped up why it happened," he says. "If we understand that there is a death in the family or a personal crisis that would help us say, 'This is not a normal pattern of behavior,' we can forgive you." Sometimes, he adds, an honest and thoughtful response can make a candidate more appealing.

Earlier this year, Emily was offered admission to six schools; she has decided to attend Simmons College in Boston. She was turned down by four other schools. "I'm grateful because I feel people are willing to take a chance on me," she says. "It just makes me hopeful that the world is moving away from fear and towards acceptance of those of us who haven't had the easiest times."

Tags: college admissions , mental health , depression

Popular Stories

Best Graduate Schools

Best Colleges

Student Loans and Advice

2024 Best Online Programs

Compare online degree programs using the new U.S. News rankings and data.

Is writing about depression and anxiety in college essays considered a cliché? Answered

From the perspective of college admissions officers, I often wonder if it is a boring and commonly written-about subject that students should refrain from writing about. I, myself, have an essay written about mental health struggles, but I'm afraid that it might be put to the side due to its topic alone. Any thoughts?

Earn karma by helping others:

This can either go two ways: one where you just talk about your depression and anxiety, and one where you talk about what you did to overcome the challenges from your depression and anxiety. You are aiming for that second option, as colleges are looking to see how you perform in spite of difficult challenges.

I actually brought up my depression in my main college essay as well. However, instead of just focusing on that and how I felt during that time, I instead focused on how I overcome that depression. I started taking part in extracurricular activities, I was part of leadership and helped my school as much as possible, and much more. Focus on those things than just talking about your struggles.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you want me to explain it more!!

Hi, I really appreciate the response! I would like to tie it to my participation in programs that help to make mental health accessibility easier for others. Would that be an example of overcoming my struggles and writing in a way that is beneficial for my application?

What exactly did those programs do to you to help you with your journey through dealing with depression and anxiety? That is what colleges are looking for - what you did to conquer those challenges.

I would say it entirely depends. Speaking about mental health in general may well be considered a cliché, but the entire point of a college essay is to be personal to you. If you are able to expand on your own personal mental health struggles and be specific as to how this has affected your own life, how you have grown, etc., it could still be a fantastic essay.

sorry, but do not recommend that topic. depression and anxiety are common health conditions (not to make light of your health condition, but super common), and it could make you seem fragile and/or self absorbed and not mature if you pick that topic. I appreciate you are tyring to be authentic and vulnerable in an essay, but you are so much more than your anxiety or depression. it would not make you stand out as unique ... that alone might get you put aside. No doubt you have way more interesting stories to tell about yourself.

Calculate for all schools

Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, community guidelines.

To keep this community safe and supportive:

• Be kind and respectful!
• Keep posts relevant to college admissions and high school.
• Don’t ask “chance-me” questions. Use CollegeVine’s chancing instead!

How karma works

Overcoming Depression in a College Essay?

So I am 17 years old preparing to send in applications to my colleges. I have struggled with depression and self harm for most of my life. But I recovered in 8th grade due to the support of a friend. The thesis statement for this personal essay is, I believe one person truly can change anything. It is talking about my struggles with depression as well as my journey out of it. My parents are suggesting that I write about something different which is genuinely hurtful given that this is a part of me and something that made me into the man I am today. If I could get some feedback as to wether this is a good idea or not as well as possible ways to format an essay of this sort or even someone willing to proof read it I would greatly appreciate it.

I would not write about depression, unless you’re trying to get your supportive friend into college.

I am trying to think about what you could write under that topic that would convince me you’d be a good roommate or tell me what you’d contribute to the college community. Very, very difficult to do.

I don’t that it a good college essay topic, try to look at the bright side and search for a new topic that you may find interesting aside from depression.

I understand why this is important to you.

However, it’s not typically the type of narrative that will positively add to your application.

If you were at a job interview and the interviewer asked “why should we hire you”, would this be the first thing you share?

Typically, your essay is the opportunity to share how you will be a positive contributor to campus life and academics.

The point of the essay is to let them know something about you that they won’t be able to get from your application or your letters of recommendation. Since it’s an essay, the rule is “show, don’t tell”. That essay would definitely be considered “telling”.

Aside from that, you want to write something that will make them want to have you as their student. Unfortunately, as somebody who struggles with depression, and has done so for a few decades, I am truly sorry to tell you that it is not something that can be cured. It can be controlled, and can be overcome, not eliminated, and that’s something that AOs likely also know. For them, the fact that you are prone to depression makes you a risky proposition. So that is the last thing that you want them to know.

Find a topic that will allow your best traits to shine through, and have you come across as a person that they’d like to have around.

Struggled “most of my life” or “recovered in 8th grade?” Sure, 8>4. But they’re looking at you as a hs senior and generally prefer who you are currently or the recent enough past.

You don’t need a thesis statement. That’s hs. But if you want to show you can change, you do need active examples (show,) what you do, how that impacts others. Of course, depends on the tier of colleges.

I have to agree with your parents on this one. The college essay is not meant to be a confessional or a soul bearing exercise.

The purpose of the college essay is to: 1) tell admissions officers something positive about yourself that can’t be found elsewhere in the application and 2) to give admission officers a reason to want you on campus. IMO your proposed essay does not accomplish either. In fact discussing mental health issues can be a red flag for admissions officers.

It is great that you have overcome depression and it is amazing that you have such a wonderful and impactful friend. It will always be an important part of your story/your life. But that does not make it a good college essay topic.

If your goal is to be accepted by a college or university, then it would not be wise to write about your depression and thoughts of self harm.

Nevertheless, this is a very valuable writing topic to share with your parents. Write the essay & share it only with your parents & trained therapist.

Write about the man you are today and not the boy you were.

Totally agree with others. You are selling yourself and depression isn’t a selling point. Admissions officers see it as a red flag because they know it can come back. Don’t give them a reason to say no.

POPULAR STATES

Search sat scores, search act scores, search gpa’s, subscribe to our newsletter.

Stay informed with the latest from the CC community, delivered to you, for free.

CONNECT WITH US

© 2023 College Confidential, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Overcoming Depression

This essay will address strategies and methods for overcoming depression. It will discuss various approaches such as therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, and support networks. The piece will emphasize the importance of seeking help and understanding depression as a treatable mental health condition, along with sharing stories of recovery and hope. At PapersOwl too, you can discover numerous free essay illustrations related to Depression.

How it works

Supporting close people, even when the patient does not express an interest in it, is very important for overcoming depression. Remember that depression is a disease in which one needs understanding, but in no case sink into sickness together with the patient, sharing his pessimism and despair. You need to be able to maintain a certain emotional distance, all the time reminding yourself and the patient that depression is a passing emotional state. Try not to concentrate on the illness of a loved one and bring positive emotions into your life and family life.

If possible, try to involve the patient in some useful activity.

Adults who suffer from depression tend to react appropriately, in an adult way. They have a sad face, they are weak and inactive, they cry, they are feverish, they suffer from insomnia, guilt and insecurity. Children, teenagers, experiencing the same sensations, but this could be a signal for friends and parents. They disguise their true feelings. Some resort to destructive patterns of behavior: they drink, take drugs, are hostile to others, commit unlawful acts. Almost half of adolescents who take drugs begin to do this during depression.

Unfortunately, adults often notice only external manifestations, not trying to look more closely and understand the reasons. West Joe says “Results Children of mothers with perinatal depression had a 40% increased risk of gastrointestinal infections and a 27% increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections compared with children of mothers without perinatal depression” (West Joe, 799) Many parents are to blame for not being able to hear what the children are saying to them, they do not want to see the problems of their children. After all, this evidence that they cannot cope with their parental functions. Very often they react to the depression of their children by irritation, which only worsens the situation.

It is a mistake to imagine patients that careful medication and psychotherapeutic exercises can quickly eliminate depression. It is extremely necessary to actively participate in the process of treatment. At first it is difficult, almost impossible, but with every day there is more and more strength, more and more confidence, and then you bravely enter the fight. Physical exercises or any physical activity help to cheer up, and not just because you are distracted from your problems – it increases muscle tone. Active exercises cause the brain to release natural substances – endorphins. These substances are produced by the human body and are close to antidepressants and neuroleptics.

It is very important that physical exercises maximally affect the muscle tone. Swimming in the pool, playing tennis on the court or digging up beds in the villa area, your muscles must feel physical load. And the more these sensations are brighter, the better for your body. In addition, the exercises make you better treat yourself, and when you are more self-centered, you get a new charge of power to further combat depression.

I think that seasonal or shallow depressions, usually accompanied by unknown despondency and apathy, are, in a sense, the same colds, only on a mental level. A depressed person changes in his perception, in reactions to the surrounding world, becomes, in a sense, ‘himself does not look like himself.’ Everything that used to be habitual and easy becomes painful, it seems like losing strength. Many in this state try to ‘keep themselves in hand’, convincingly force themselves to behave as if everything is in order, live and work at the same pace and perform normal for a healthy self-load. In the depths of soul, such a person thinks that time will pass and he will ‘let go’ by himself.

When a person is depressed, it is very difficult for him to start doing something to get out of the state of emotional depression. We have to make efforts, somehow overcome ourselves. If you manage to do something and get a little distracted, then after a while you feel relief. If you get rid of tormenting thoughts from your head, go to work or study with your head, it will almost certainly get better. But, for how long?

A person learns not to pay attention to symptoms, becomes less sensitive and even over time becomes proud of his own thick-skinniness, as if suppressing the dictates of his own soul makes him stronger. But this is self-deception! The person does not develop, but, on the contrary, becomes stale, and from this his inner world becomes poorer, and the depression intensifies. When depressed, the crisis is on the verge of collapse. This is already a disease, and you need to seek help, just as you seek help from a dentist when the tooth is aching. This is normal and natural. And the presence of repeated depressive states is a clear signal of a lack of concern for one’s mental health. I’m not trying to do advertising on this in order to increase the influx of clients of a psychologist

. A good psychologist has so much work to do, here it is in another – in the time of life. Depression, inactive and lengthy, consumes not only strength, but also the time of a person’s life. His best time is when he is young and full of energy. Kok, Rob M. writes “Depression presents with the same symptoms in older adults as it does in younger population” (Kok, Rob M., 2114) How many days, months or years of your own unique one-of-a-kind life are you ready to devote to ‘suffering’? Or, maybe, still it makes sense to go through several sessions of psychotherapy and spend the rest of the time more important and necessary things for you? Life is short, and most people live as if they are going to live forever.

After the exit from the emotional ‘corkscrew’ begins the main, most important work with the problems of depression and it will for the most part be independent and not at all simple. It is important to understand that to take care of one’s inner world, to develop one’s own spirituality is necessary and natural, just as we understand the need to expose the body to physical activity to maintain a tone so that muscles do not atrophy, that we will not lose strength, that there is strong health, and, as a result, – good health, high quality of life and full longevity.

Cite this page

Overcoming Depression. (2021, Jun 17). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/overcoming-depression/

"Overcoming Depression." PapersOwl.com , 17 Jun 2021, https://papersowl.com/examples/overcoming-depression/

PapersOwl.com. (2021). Overcoming Depression . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/overcoming-depression/ [Accessed: 2 May. 2024]

"Overcoming Depression." PapersOwl.com, Jun 17, 2021. Accessed May 2, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/overcoming-depression/

"Overcoming Depression," PapersOwl.com , 17-Jun-2021. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/overcoming-depression/. [Accessed: 2-May-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2021). Overcoming Depression . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/overcoming-depression/ [Accessed: 2-May-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

College Essay: Overcoming Social Anxiety

“William, you’re up first,” the teacher said excitedly. 

I was instantly anxious when my ninth-grade English teacher announced I would be the first person presenting. As I walked to the front of the classroom, I was fidgeting and could feel  my face turning red. My classmates’ eyes followed me, looking like they were planning something. I started by introducing the title of the poem I was going to recite. I included some hand gestures and facial expressions while reciting the poem to make it better and less awkward, but I was still stiff. I felt like I did a solid job of engaging the audience and helping them understand the poem. People started applauding for me because they didn’t expect me to be that good because I was a shy dude. I finished by making some personal connections to the poem I chose. I went back to my seat, my face feeling hot because of how red I was. A classmate who sat next to me told me I did an outstanding job. This compliment really made my day because I thought I did OK.  This experience was the moment I realized I had some hope of overcoming my social anxiety. At the end of the presentation I felt like it wasn’t that bad, and I overcame something that was always with me throughout middle school. Now, it could change.

Social anxiety has especially affected me during middle school. I probably first realized I had social anxiety when I had to present in front of the class in seventh grade; I felt a little weird as soon as my classmates’  eyes were on me. In the middle of my presentation, I started crying because my teacher insisted I continue after pausing multiple times because of my nervousness. Since I refused to present in front of the class again, my grade was an automatic zero. 

I finally overcame my social anxiety after joining a program called Minnesota Business Venture, which was recommended by the college counselors. I signed up for it because it was going to help me feel and live a little bit of that college experience at St. Thomas by staying in dorms and learning on campus for a whole week. This program helped with my social anxiety significantly because I was able to see new faces and meet really kind people. Being in an inclusive environment allowed me to express myself better, without being judged or teased. I realized I have had some friends in the past who made me feel like I was kinda worthless. But since my peers from the St.Thomas program helped me and complimented me on my work. I felt like I had worth and confidence in expressing myself.

I noticed how having this social anxiety and awkwardness had really taken a toll on me and prevented me from making friends and feeling comfortable talking. I feel confident now that I’m opening up more. When it’s time to start college, I will be facing many obstacles, but I feel like I just took my biggest obstacle away. Joining a new university will help me start fresh. As I’m becoming  friends with the right people, I will be able to feel more comfortable because I know I am able to socialize with strangers. 

Through this program, an experience of meeting new people, I felt relieved and free. I interacted with random people and made new friends. Now, when I am connecting and collaborating with my classmates, teachers and relatives I am confident, feeling like I’m a new and improved person. What I learned is how putting yourself out there not only reduces your shyness; everyone can go far if they push themselves out of their comfort zone.

© 2024 ThreeSixty Journalism • Login

ThreeSixty Journalism,

a nonprofit program of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas, uses the principles of strong writing and reporting to help diverse Minnesota youth tell the stories of their lives and communities.