Mental Disorders Among College Students Term Paper

Disorders Prevalent in the Lives of College Students

The life in college always represents a significant step that marks the transition of the individual from one stage that they are viewed as young and naive, to the next stage where they are presumed to be mature and develop sense of responsibility as they are preparing to face the life as adults who work for their living and no longer depend on others. However, the college life can be a stressful time and there are several stressors from the pile of academic work to the social influence of peers and if an individual does not handle the stressors well, he will end up feeling guilty, hopeless, and can despair. Statistics have it that 10% of students at the colleges have contemplated suicide or made deliberate plans to commit suicide. The deaths in universities across the U.S. On annual basis go to excesses of 1,000 and it is found that most students who engage in suicide suffer from depression or other mental illnesses.

The feeling of hopelessness is also a major risk factor when it comes to suicide. People who have completely lost hope in life and see no reason for living end up having thoughts of committing suicide. Alcohol and substance abuse can also be a risk factor of suicide under this category. When one is under the influence of drugs they are not in a correct mind frame and unfortunately many college students engage in one form of drug or the other. This is even worse when they have other problems they are dealing with. When under the influence of drugs ones mind is filled with so many thoughts some of which involve how they can end their lives. A history of abuse or trauma can also be a risk factor when it comes to suicide. This is because individuals who have gone through some form of abuse remain traumatized and they always live in fear (Christensen H., 2010).These traumatic episodes always linger in their minds and they would so much want to get rid of them. Victims often think of committing suicide as a solution to their problems. Previous suicide attempt is another risk factor, whereby an individual who has attempted to commit suicide might try doing so again with the hope that this time around they might end up dead. Family history of suicide is also a risk a factor in this category.it is often perceived that if an individual within a family has died from suicide then it is more likely that other members of that family might also contemplate suicide (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2013).

One can tell the signs of a suicidal student when he keeps talking of suicide, when he threatens that he will hurt himself on several occasions, abrupt changes in personality and feelings of depression in the individual. The person may also express instances of extreme physical and emotional pain, they may avoid their social companions and activities and an abrupt calmness after a session of depression (Best Colleges, 2015).

Sociocultural risk factors

There are various factors that exist within the college that are termed as suicide risk factors. These include the lack of social support or having a feeling of isolation. An individual might feel as though they are not part of the college they study in. They feel as is they are aliens and hence have no one to turn to incase of anything. Such individuals contemplate taking their lives as they have feel worthless and not part of anything.in society there is also the stigma that is associated with the behavior of seeking help. People who reach out for help are often stigmatized and they end up coiling up in shells and keeping their problems to themselves. Once they reach an end point they think of committing suicide as a solution to their problems.

Drug abuse

Substance abuse is the harmful use of any drugs that alters the mood of the users. Some people define it as the abuse of prescriptions over and above which it has been prescribed or directed to be used. There are various substances that people abuse for varied reasons. The substances abuse includes drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Today, the toll for the abuse of these substances is seen in the hospitals and other emergency departments. Generally, when someone talks about substance abuse, the person must be referring to the use of illicit drugs or legal drugs in an illicit manner. Herein discussed are two substances that are commonly abused in colleges and the paper will identifying the behavioral, physiological, emotional and psychological signs and symptoms for each substance.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), the two commonly abused drugs are Hashish and Marijuana, both are classified under cannabinoids. NIDA estimated that, the number of people in the U.S. that use the illicit drugs has grown to about 13 million. In addition, the survey also estimated that at least 10% of the people living in America abuse drugs by depending on alcohol while 25% spent too much of their time smoking cigarettes. The abused substances generally produce toxins that may alter the judgment, perception or physical control of a person.

Marijuana

Marijuana has different commercial and street names as ganja, grass, weed and many others. Marijuana comes from the plant with a botanical name Cannabis sativa and it is the most illegal drug used in the United States of America. The drug can be administered by swallowing or smoking; but most people prefer eating it. When marijuana is smoked or eaten, the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol gets absorbed into the bloodstream hence activating the proteins in the brain and spinal cord of the users. This will then produce psychoactive effects such as euphoria and sharp appetite to the users. According to Spector and Welsh (2013), regular use of marijuana in adolescence is part of a cluster of behaviors which produce enduring and detrimental effects as well as can alter the trajectory of the young person's life.

Effects of Marijuana

The negative effect of smoking marijuana is that, its smoke usually irritates the lungs as it contains a cancer causing chemicals than that of tobacco smoke. The regular use of marijuana can increase depression risks, however, there is no concrete evidence that cannabis users get depressed when they eat or smoke the weed. Long-term smoking of marijuana may increase depressive symptoms with serotonin gene responsible for the increased risk of depression.

Behavioral symptoms of Marijuana

The immediate signs and symptoms of smoking marijuana are dilation of the blood vessels in the users' eyes making them bloodshot, the person will have an increased heart rate and increased memory impairment along with the difficulties in paying attention to solve a certain problem. However major reason why a college student may abuse marijuana is for the euphoria which may tend to last for about three to six hours.

Physiological, emotional and psychological symptoms of marijuana

According to the study of Health services carried in the U.S.A., the emotional symptoms of marijuana include depressive moods, anger and aggression, strange dreams and restlessness. The emotional attachment to marijuana may threaten an individual to make them continue using the drugs. The psychological symptoms of marijuana include distorted sense of time, paranoia, short-term memory loss, and depression. These psychological signs generally ease after a few hours. The physiological symptoms on the other hand include; weight loss, weight gain, difficulties in digestion and nausea after eating. The physiological symptoms of marijuana generally tend to be less intense than psychological symptoms that are associated with quitting.

Addiction to ruffies

Ruffies is the street name of the medically known Rohypnol or flunitrazepam which is a sleeping pill often prescribed to patients suffering from insomnia. It is worth noting that despite the wide availability within the U.S.A. It is a drug that has not been approved by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration), hence the distribution of this drug that goes on in the U.S.A. is an illegality (University of Virginia, 2012).

Ruffies is also commonly referred to as "Quaalude of the 90s" or "Date Rape Drug" since its abuse almost always takes place through adding it to alcohol. The other street names are roche, R-2, Mexican valium, rib, rope, roopies, circle, roofies and forget-me pill. This is yet another drug that is common in colleges now due to the ease of getting it from someone who has a prescription for it.

Medical effects on the body

The combination of ruffies with alcohol causes impaired motor skills and judgment, memory loss, the person can appear drunk, display loss of inhibition, display blood shot eyes and slurred speech. The victim will appear confused, have visual disturbance, feel drowsy, drop in blood pressure, have urinary retention, have memory impairment and display gastrointestinal disturbance. There are cases of aspiration, respiratory depression and to the extreme death if ruffies is mixed with alcohol. The victims are also known to forget all that happened to them the hours before…