Crimson Blues

According to survey results released this week by University Health Services, nearly half of Harvard’s 6,650 undergraduates report feeling “depressed” at some point over the last year and a disturbing 10 percent admit to having had thoughts of suicide in that time. This is a startling increase over previous surveys and should prompt an extensive response from the University. The administration, in concert with a panel of healthcare professionals, students and faculty, should look into ways of addressing this issue with the immediacy and effectiveness that such a serious student health issue warrants. The fact that 12 suicides have occurred at Harvard since 1990 should serve as more than a wake-up call.

With insight and representation from experts who are versed in college healthcare and students who are immersed in Harvard life, such a panel will be able to address methods of both prevention and treatment. In doing so, it can determine effective solutions to improve the state of mental health at Harvard.

With so many factors that influence mental health, there are many areas of life at Harvard that may deserve scrutiny. Among the host of genetic and environmental factors thought to contribute to depressive illness are stress and sleep deprivation, two lifestyle traits familiar to hardworking and overextended Harvard students. Addressing factors such as these should be part of an overall plan for preserving the mental health of Harvard students.

This panel should also be responsible for assessing the impediments that stand between affected students and professional help. The survey indicates that just half of depressed students actively seek counseling. While this number is up from the last survey, conducted two years ago, it still reflects the existence of significant barriers to therapy and treatment. Despite the recent emergence of depression as a commonly addressed literary and cinematic theme, an irrational and persistent stigma about receiving treatment remains among Harvard students. Important to the administration’s response will be both an effort to evaluate this stigma’s role in the effective treatment of student depression and an investment in finding ways to combat it. Education will no doubt play a role in obliterating this stigma.

Depression is a serious illness and should receive significant attention from Harvard’s medical and academic leadership. While we are eager to compare Harvard’s results with national statistics once they become available, the fact that depression affects such a staggering portion of Harvard students demands an immediate and well-informed response.