Student Health Office

Self Help Guide
Emotional Health Problems

Depression

What is Depression?

Depression is a serious medical illness; it’s not something that you have made up in your head. It’s more than just feeling "down in the dumps" or "blue" for a few days. It’s feeling "down" and "low" and "hopeless" for weeks at a time. More about Depression here.

Signs & Symptoms

  • Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
  • Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
  • Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed.

Treatment

A variety of treatments including medications and short-term psychotherapies have proven effective for depression. More about Treatment here.

Getting Help

The Student Health Office offers counseling during the week. Please see Counseling Services for more information.

Anxiety & Stress

What are Anxiety Disorders?

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps one cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder. More about Anxiety Disorders here.

Five major types of anxiety disorders are:

Treatment

Effective treatments for anxiety disorders are available, and research is yielding new, improved therapies that can help most people with anxiety disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives. More about Treatment here.

Getting Help

The Student Health Office offers counseling during the week. Please see Counseling Services for more information.

Stress management

This site contains many useful links concerning stress management: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/career/stress.html

Suicide Prevention

The following links provide some very good information about preventing suicide, warning signs and how to access help; no web search can be a substitute for getting help from a caring, trained professional. This is true whether you are considering suicide or are concerned about someone who may be. Our counselors are available to consult with all members of St. John’s community to help consider the best ways to assist someone who is distressed, given the uniqueness of each person and their circumstances. (More information at Counseling Services)

Suicide Prevention at St. John's College
Concern about the possibility of suicide is understandable on any college campus. We know that suicide is the second highest cause of death (following accidents) nationally for people in the college age group. To continue the work of making St. John's College as safe an environment as possible, we need for suicide prevention to be everyone's responsibility. Although St. John’s is a very small community and thus we are easily aware of many things that go on around us, it is still very important to be alert to signs of distress in others and take actions.

Several components of the campus suicide prevention plan can be found online. A consistent theme throughout these prevention elements is our commitment to protecting not just students who may be considering suicide, but also to preserving the quality of life for the community surrounding that person.

Resources

Here are some off campus web sites we trust to provide thought and accurate guidance to those concerned about suicidal feelings and behaviors.

  • Ulifeline.org
     This site includes lots of resources specifically developed for a college population. ULifeline includes self evaluations, links to other resources, including links back to the CHWS site.
  • Suicide: Read This First
    This is an excellent resource for persons experiencing suicidal thoughts. It is a compelling, well-written site that offers a variety of alternatives to suicide and strategies for increasing effective coping.
  • American Association of Suicidology

An organization of persons focused on suicide including researchers, clinicians, preventionists, crisis workers and survivors of suicide.This site provides statistics, basic information on how to intervene with a suicidal person, and phone numbers for local agencies.

Taking Actions

If you are in a crisis and need help right away:

Call this toll-free number, available 24 hours a day, every day: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You will reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a service available to anyone. You may call for yourself or for someone you care about. All calls are confidential.

What should I do if I think someone is suicidal?

If you think someone is suicidal, do not leave him or her alone. Try to get the person to seek immediate help from our counselors, his/her personal doctor or the nearest hospital emergency room, or call 911. Eliminate access to firearms or other potential tools for suicide, including unsupervised access to medications.

Counseling services

Click here for information on counseling services at St. John's.

(Source: National Institute of Mental Health & University of Puget South’s Student Health and Wellness)

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