Is it the subject matter that's depressing? Or do these majors attract students who are prone to depression? Or is it a bit of both?
Depression on campus is by no means a new issue, nor is it anywhere near approaching the realm of esoteric. It actually constitutes a deadly serious crisis that administrators, professors, students, and parents must absolutely address. While widespread studies on which majors pose the highest risk of instilling or piquing
depressive symptoms have yet to materialize, there definitely exists research out there drawing some parallels. Some occur because the degree plans themselves tend to attract enrollees already predisposed to the diagnoses, others because they require more work than the body can handle, still others because the job market just looks that dark. In order to better understand the nature of depression and how it relates to the
higher education experience, explore some of the following glimpses at what might just worsen the problem.
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A 2011 study of incoming Princeton freshmen revealed what might very well be a correlation between family mental health history and choice of college major. Those desiring a humanities degree proved most genetically at-risk for depression, bipolar disorder, and substance abuse than their peers in STEM fields. While further inquiry is necessary to fully understand the whats and whys (not to mention the veracity) of this phenomenon, as it stands now these students seem to stand as more prone to depressive and anxiety disorders from a biological standpoint rather than one inherent to their majors.
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The same New York Times article discussing the possible links pushing freshmen genetically predisposed to depression toward pursuing humanities diplomas also cited an 1987 article revealing the very same risk for creative writers. Some of the greatest English-language authors in history either suffered from one of the related disorders, or hailed from a family background with one in it. However, the risk also applies to more “right-brained” majors in general, though for reasons beyond brain chemistry…
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… The fact that majoring in one of the arts, be it film, sculpture, dance, or some other medium entirely, means facing an unemployment rate of 11.10% after graduation doesn’t do much for this predisposition, either. For these majors, their passion and talents just aren’t valued in a sloth-like economy, but springing for another career path might prove equally miserable. It’s a rather sad catch-22 – one also saddled with unfortunate stereotypes that could preclude therapy and lead to bullying that only renders the situation worse.
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Only architecture majors experience a grimmer career outlook than their artistic peers, with a horrifying 13.90% unemployment rate. Even worse, architecture school is notoriously strenuous, packing on the stress and anxiety and precluding many students from enjoying the same social and romantic lives as everyone around them. Suffice to say, this potent brew of questionable employment and devoting up to an entire decade to intensive schooling and training definitely poses a major depressive risk.
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As with architecture and medicine (and, to a lesser extent, art), law school requires exorbitant amounts of time and energy and amplify the anxiety and stress symptoms endemic to depression. Some studies estimate that the academic experience might directly lead to 40% of future lawyers and politicians experiencing the mental health issue to varying degrees. Debates swirl over whether or not the actual structure of the classes directly contributes to this unfortunate statistic, or if law school just attracts a particularly depressed demographic. Either way, though, something needs changing to ensure greater student health and safety.
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Northeastern University’s studies on the prevalence of perfectionism and social anxiety in four very different majors noted that both physics and math majors drifted toward these behavior patterns at a higher rate than those aiming for communications or music. Furthermore, accelerated social anxiety traits also led to an increased display of perfectionism, however the latter was only marginally more present in the physics and math students. It makes sense that the two traits would influence one another so intimately, not to mention start pushing college kids further and further into depression related to not living up to their own expectations.
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Because of the academic pressures and intensive studies involved with medical school, at least half the polled student body reported that they experienced some degree of burnout; most disconcertingly, though, was the 11% who admitted to suffering from suicidal thoughts. Although medical students enter into programs with the same distribution of mental health conditions as those not enrolled in them, the classes and expectations themselves so often take a toll on the more extreme cases. Unlike law school, where experts argue over the true cause of the heightened depression rate, medicine’s vulnerability has already been proven to be inherent to the structure.
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Visual arts definitely have it rough, but their not-so-paint-stained counterparts in the liberal arts aren’t exactly coasting along, either. After graduation, they currently face an unemployment rate hovering around 9.4% combined. The general psychological profile of liberal arts majors does not seem to be any different than most others, so most of the depression stems from knowing they might have to seek employment outside their fields.
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Combined, all the engineering disciplines stand as amongst the most demanding undergraduate degrees out there. They’re expected to study an average of 19 hours per week, though by senior year 42% spend well over 20. No definitive statistics on the prevalence of depression amongst engineering students seems to exist, but it doesn’t take Dr. Freud to know that excessive anxiety and stress can cause moods and self-image to start plummeting.
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Information systems used to enjoy quite a bit of popularity as a degree plan, particularly when computers began infiltrating every corner of human existence. These days, though, graduates with degrees in the field face an estimated unemployment rate of 11.7%. Fortunately for them, unlike the arts and humanities, they are also more likely to have a wider selections of options available as the job market swells.
http://www.onlinephdprograms.com/10-college-majors-most-likely-to-experience-depression/
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