By Ashley Oliver
York College students are concerned that the workload they are given by professors leads to clinical depression.
To diagnose clinical depression, the most severe form of depression, the American Psychiatric Association uses the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.” In a recent interview, Dr. Rodolfo Sandin, a licensed psychiatrist of over 40 years at Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, said an overly burdensome workload can be harmful to a college student.
“It isn’t healthy for professors to give too much work,” he said.
Academic workload appears to be a major contributor of depression in college students. Katy Sharapova, 20, a junior at York majoring in biology, said she was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2012.
“I’m always crying,” Sharapova said. “I have assignments due every day, which gives me more anxiety. It’s like the professors have no sympathy or remorse.”
Some students feel that they are obligated to do more.
Marcia Arifitil, a sophomore at York, says success comes from quality work.
“I don’t just want to do the work and pass by the skin of my teeth,” she said. “I want to do quality work and receive a good grade that I can be proud of.”
She did say some professors need to give students more time.
Kadianne Haughton, a resident with Lutheran Medical Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, confirms the prevalence of the link between workload and depression in college students, citing the matter of a 20-year-old she is now caring for.
“[The patient] suffers from manic depression and suicidal ideation from getting too much work in school,” Haughton said, adding that some students who are the most depressed often may seem very happy because they do not want others to worry about them.
York psychology major Keanu Hypolite says some students can hide their feelings behind a smile.
“I am depressed, [the workload] is just too much,” he said. “No one understands how I feel, in addition to outside work. So I just have to wear a smile and keep it pushing. I thought college was supposed to make me grow as a person, but I feel like I’m crumbling inside.”
Abbass Hussain, a biology professor at the college, said the proper workload is a balance.
“The pro of a lot of homework is it forces students to learn, he said. “But every student learns differently and too much [school work] may lead to anxiety, which may lead to uncontrolled stress.”
“Most psychiatric illnesses start in late teens or early adolescence,” according to Gary Garnett, a Central Brooklyn pharmaceutical representative. “The scary part is [depression] is idiomatic, so we know what can cause it, but we don’t know why it doesn’t go away.”
Sandin attributes students masking depression to the lack of a relationship with their professors.
“If [students] cannot cope, they have to talk to their family, or someone they can trust,” he said. “If they don’t trust their professors, they’re never going to tell anyone that they’re depressed and they’ll make excuses for not doing their work. Until then, it’ll get worse.”
While some students believe that they are being overburdened by assignments, some medical professionals believe that a substantial workload equates with a level of maturity.
“Assigning a lot of work is appropriate,” said Dr. Elvin Parson, a psychiatrist with the Metropolitan Hospital Center in Manhattan. “Students have to learn how to handle pressure and deadlines in the real world. The consequences of not being able to handle it are a lot lessened in college. If they let that bother them, then they are not mature enough.”
Sandin, however, implicates gender as a factor in depression.
“Geno-typically, depression is more prevalent in females because they have more hormones, making them more prone to emotional issues,” he said. “Females mature faster than men, so [depression] has nothing to do with maturity.”
Centers for Disease Control demographics show that depression in ages 18-39 is the second highest in America. It also shows that women are 30 percent more likely to suffer from depression than men.
Kaeleen Dewar, a sociology major at York, said college is about time management, making reference to a friend.
“I understand [college] is a lot, but that’s the point,” Dewar said. “She stresses too much about the quality of her work, but you never see males stressing anything.”
Despite the workload in college, some students have expressed the need for a heavy workload to instill discipline and rigor.
“The problem with students is they don’t have discipline,” Hypolite said. “As a student, I know a lot of work is beneficial because it helps [students] learn more, because they know there’s a consequence if they don’t complete it by a certain time. If I have a professor who doesn’t assign a lot of work, when they do give an assignment, I’m going to take it seriously. There has to be a balance, but students need to be responsible and manage pressure better.”
Educators and psychiatrists stress the need for students and professors to find a common ground to prevent clinical depression.
“It’s important that [students] don’t abandon their studies because that can lead to depression, too,” Sandin said. He added when students do not have anything to do, they feel useless.
“Professors still need to limit the amount of work they give,” he said.
Fashion Institute of Technology Professor Nancy Grossman said colleges require students to take too many courses at once to graduate on time.
“Some professors need to be considerate and give work that’s necessary, but be fair,” she said. Grossman added that there needs to be clear communication between professors and students to prevent the students from feeling badgered.
“Both the students and professors have to make an effort to find a medium,” she said.”
Sidney Smith, the manager of the office of Veteran’s Affairs at York, said students who are depressed should seek counseling or psychotherapy.
Tanisha Albert, a political science major, said students should always communicate with their professor.
“That way, [students] will know what is required without feeling burdened,” she said. “But, I doubt the workload will change. That’s what separates college from high school.”
Photo: York junior biology major Darius Akente studying for finals
York College students are concerned that the workload they are given by professors leads to clinical depression.
To diagnose clinical depression, the most severe form of depression, the American Psychiatric Association uses the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.” In a recent interview, Dr. Rodolfo Sandin, a licensed psychiatrist of over 40 years at Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, said an overly burdensome workload can be harmful to a college student.
“It isn’t healthy for professors to give too much work,” he said.
Academic workload appears to be a major contributor of depression in college students. Katy Sharapova, 20, a junior at York majoring in biology, said she was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2012.
“I’m always crying,” Sharapova said. “I have assignments due every day, which gives me more anxiety. It’s like the professors have no sympathy or remorse.”
Some students feel that they are obligated to do more.
Marcia Arifitil, a sophomore at York, says success comes from quality work.
“I don’t just want to do the work and pass by the skin of my teeth,” she said. “I want to do quality work and receive a good grade that I can be proud of.”
She did say some professors need to give students more time.
Kadianne Haughton, a resident with Lutheran Medical Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, confirms the prevalence of the link between workload and depression in college students, citing the matter of a 20-year-old she is now caring for.
“[The patient] suffers from manic depression and suicidal ideation from getting too much work in school,” Haughton said, adding that some students who are the most depressed often may seem very happy because they do not want others to worry about them.
York psychology major Keanu Hypolite says some students can hide their feelings behind a smile.
“I am depressed, [the workload] is just too much,” he said. “No one understands how I feel, in addition to outside work. So I just have to wear a smile and keep it pushing. I thought college was supposed to make me grow as a person, but I feel like I’m crumbling inside.”
Abbass Hussain, a biology professor at the college, said the proper workload is a balance.
“The pro of a lot of homework is it forces students to learn, he said. “But every student learns differently and too much [school work] may lead to anxiety, which may lead to uncontrolled stress.”
“Most psychiatric illnesses start in late teens or early adolescence,” according to Gary Garnett, a Central Brooklyn pharmaceutical representative. “The scary part is [depression] is idiomatic, so we know what can cause it, but we don’t know why it doesn’t go away.”
Sandin attributes students masking depression to the lack of a relationship with their professors.
“If [students] cannot cope, they have to talk to their family, or someone they can trust,” he said. “If they don’t trust their professors, they’re never going to tell anyone that they’re depressed and they’ll make excuses for not doing their work. Until then, it’ll get worse.”
While some students believe that they are being overburdened by assignments, some medical professionals believe that a substantial workload equates with a level of maturity.
“Assigning a lot of work is appropriate,” said Dr. Elvin Parson, a psychiatrist with the Metropolitan Hospital Center in Manhattan. “Students have to learn how to handle pressure and deadlines in the real world. The consequences of not being able to handle it are a lot lessened in college. If they let that bother them, then they are not mature enough.”
Sandin, however, implicates gender as a factor in depression.
“Geno-typically, depression is more prevalent in females because they have more hormones, making them more prone to emotional issues,” he said. “Females mature faster than men, so [depression] has nothing to do with maturity.”
Centers for Disease Control demographics show that depression in ages 18-39 is the second highest in America. It also shows that women are 30 percent more likely to suffer from depression than men.
Kaeleen Dewar, a sociology major at York, said college is about time management, making reference to a friend.
“I understand [college] is a lot, but that’s the point,” Dewar said. “She stresses too much about the quality of her work, but you never see males stressing anything.”
Despite the workload in college, some students have expressed the need for a heavy workload to instill discipline and rigor.
“The problem with students is they don’t have discipline,” Hypolite said. “As a student, I know a lot of work is beneficial because it helps [students] learn more, because they know there’s a consequence if they don’t complete it by a certain time. If I have a professor who doesn’t assign a lot of work, when they do give an assignment, I’m going to take it seriously. There has to be a balance, but students need to be responsible and manage pressure better.”
Educators and psychiatrists stress the need for students and professors to find a common ground to prevent clinical depression.
“It’s important that [students] don’t abandon their studies because that can lead to depression, too,” Sandin said. He added when students do not have anything to do, they feel useless.
“Professors still need to limit the amount of work they give,” he said.
Fashion Institute of Technology Professor Nancy Grossman said colleges require students to take too many courses at once to graduate on time.
“Some professors need to be considerate and give work that’s necessary, but be fair,” she said. Grossman added that there needs to be clear communication between professors and students to prevent the students from feeling badgered.
“Both the students and professors have to make an effort to find a medium,” she said.”
Sidney Smith, the manager of the office of Veteran’s Affairs at York, said students who are depressed should seek counseling or psychotherapy.
Tanisha Albert, a political science major, said students should always communicate with their professor.
“That way, [students] will know what is required without feeling burdened,” she said. “But, I doubt the workload will change. That’s what separates college from high school.”
Photo: York junior biology major Darius Akente studying for finals