By Storee Powell
Depression is the number one diagnosis at the USU Student Health and Wellness Center, according to Dr. Jim Davis.
A statistical survey conducted by the Center in 2007, sheds some light on the high levels of depressed students. Students surveyed responded to multiple questions concerning their happiness, anxiety and behavioral levels. When asked if they recently had felt so depressed they wondered if anything was worthwhile, over 40 percent of students responded that they were feeling various levels of extremely high to moderate depression.
Responses to other related or similar questions showed many students suffered anxiety and emotional instability enough to make them concerned over its affects, like losing control.
But why are so many students struggling with these issues? Davis explained his theory that most of the students currently at USU are of the Generation Y. These students, he said, were sheltered and protected by parents, teachers and coaches growing up.
“Your parents strapped you into a car seat, and scores weren’t kept at little league,” said Davis, “So these students have not experienced the same stress levels previous generations have. They don’t know how to manage stress when they are in college.”
Stress is related to depression, according to Davis, because anxiety and stress cause serotonin levels in the brain to deplete. Serotonin is the brain chemical that makes a person happy and motivated, so a lack of it will cause a person to become depressed, said Davis.
“The thing to realize is that if the depression is interfering with the person’s ability to cope, that’s the threshold to when a student needs to seek care,” explained Davis.
There are many methods students use to cope with stress and depression, but not all are beneficial, said Davis. Though not common, shopping, drinking, eating disorders, and drug use are detrimental methods. But exercise, being with friends, and pet therapy are positive ways to combat depression, said Davis.
The health surveys show USU where it needs to put their resources to help students. USU provides exercise facilities to students, as well as a pet therapy program.
In the last 20 years, pet therapy is an area that’s received more attention in research and use nationwide, including academic settings, according to Mary Doty, a psychologist and pet therapist at the USU Counseling Center.
According to Doty, pet therapy is becoming less based on anecdotal evidence, but experiments that are revealing important information to the therapy world. The research shows that pets can lower stress and increase health by decreasing blood pressure and heart rate. A person who has a meaningful interaction with a pet can increase their living time and alleviate depression, all of which are important to successful therapy of students, explained Doty.
“This research is just giving credence to what pet owners already know,” said Doty.
All kinds of animals are part of pet therapy, including dogs, cats, horses, birds, and farm animals. The deciding factor on what animal to use is its obedience and behavior in social settings.
There are several reasons why animals in therapy can be so effective, said Doty.
“They are unconditional with their love, they give people a sense of acceptance because they aren’t judgmental and they can help people feel more in control and less isolated,” said Doty.
In some cases, a pet can bring a person into a healthy human-to-human relationship because of the trust their learned to build and accept with a pet. More often than not, the student attending therapy will be more likely to open up to the therapist because the pet acts as an intermediary, calming the patient, explained Doty.
“Animals can provide something that human therapists just can’t. An animal can cross boundaries I can’t, with no strings attached,” said Doty.
The animals can serve as icebreakers for students, and a metaphor for the therapist to use. For example, a dog that throws its water dish because it’s empty is not being passive, but showing its feelings. Doty said she would use this to explain how students can be assertive.
Doty said the Counseling Center treats students with a variety of issues and mental illnesses. War vets, students with relationship conflicts, bipolar disorder, OCD, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, Autism, recovering drug users, sexual assault victims, and the most common problem, students with adjustment concerns about college, marriage and homesickness.
Also, according to Doty, a third of the patients report depression symptoms, and another third report anxiety symptoms. In any given semester, the Counseling Center will see around 300 to 400 clients, said Doty.
Students are eligible for treatment by pet therapy if he or she is a student on the Logan campus with at least six credits. The therapy is free, and is confidential. A student who is feeling any symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression should not hesitate to go, said Doty.
“Students who miss their pets back home can stop by anytime to just visit with the dogs,” said Doty.
Currently, the Counseling Center has two dogs, though they previously had cats. Remy is an Australian Cattle dog that was rescued; and Boris is a female that’s part Yellow Lab, part Retriever. Both are well socialized and very lovable.
While the pet therapy can be very successful, the counselors don’t recommend everyone actually owning a pet. Students with emotional problems may not be fit to care for an animal, said Doty.
Also, student housing can be difficult to find that will allow pets, not mention the financial pressure of owning a pet.
“People under the right conditions can own a pet, but it is a big responsibility, rather like having a child. It is definitely a two way street,” said Doty.
Shannon Clemens, a USU graduate student pursuing a Masters in Environmental Management, agreed, “People should think where they will be in 10 years, like where they will live, how much they’ll travel, and if they can afford pet. The pet should be considered part of the family.”
Clemens is a full-time volunteer for the Cache Valley non-profit shelter, Four Paws Rescue. The shelter, founded in 2002 by Logan resident Lisa Shaw, houses 80 to 90 dogs, and finds foster homes for near 40 cats. The animals are either surrendered by owners or taken from the pound.
When received, all of the animals are vaccinated, and are observed in social settings to see if they’re adoptable, said Clemens.
The cost to adopt a pet ranges from $125 to $200, according to Clemens. The shelter will allow someone, after an interview to see if they are pet-worthy, to take a pet home for a week for a trial run, said Clemens.
Clemens, who is a busy and now single student, agreed that pets are definitely therapy. Her dog, Gina, is a Lab and Pointer mix, and is her “best buddy.”
“My dog is my best buddy. We camp and hike together, and in many ways she has improved my life, especially in companionship,” said Clemens.
A student who is feeling stressed can save a pet, and the pet can save the student.
“A great animal interaction can really surprise a student, and even change their hearts,” said Doty.
Depression is the number one diagnosis at the USU Student Health and Wellness Center, according to Dr. Jim Davis.
A statistical survey conducted by the Center in 2007, sheds some light on the high levels of depressed students. Students surveyed responded to multiple questions concerning their happiness, anxiety and behavioral levels. When asked if they recently had felt so depressed they wondered if anything was worthwhile, over 40 percent of students responded that they were feeling various levels of extremely high to moderate depression.
Responses to other related or similar questions showed many students suffered anxiety and emotional instability enough to make them concerned over its affects, like losing control.
But why are so many students struggling with these issues? Davis explained his theory that most of the students currently at USU are of the Generation Y. These students, he said, were sheltered and protected by parents, teachers and coaches growing up.
“Your parents strapped you into a car seat, and scores weren’t kept at little league,” said Davis, “So these students have not experienced the same stress levels previous generations have. They don’t know how to manage stress when they are in college.”
Stress is related to depression, according to Davis, because anxiety and stress cause serotonin levels in the brain to deplete. Serotonin is the brain chemical that makes a person happy and motivated, so a lack of it will cause a person to become depressed, said Davis.
“The thing to realize is that if the depression is interfering with the person’s ability to cope, that’s the threshold to when a student needs to seek care,” explained Davis.
There are many methods students use to cope with stress and depression, but not all are beneficial, said Davis. Though not common, shopping, drinking, eating disorders, and drug use are detrimental methods. But exercise, being with friends, and pet therapy are positive ways to combat depression, said Davis.
The health surveys show USU where it needs to put their resources to help students. USU provides exercise facilities to students, as well as a pet therapy program.
In the last 20 years, pet therapy is an area that’s received more attention in research and use nationwide, including academic settings, according to Mary Doty, a psychologist and pet therapist at the USU Counseling Center.
According to Doty, pet therapy is becoming less based on anecdotal evidence, but experiments that are revealing important information to the therapy world. The research shows that pets can lower stress and increase health by decreasing blood pressure and heart rate. A person who has a meaningful interaction with a pet can increase their living time and alleviate depression, all of which are important to successful therapy of students, explained Doty.
“This research is just giving credence to what pet owners already know,” said Doty.
All kinds of animals are part of pet therapy, including dogs, cats, horses, birds, and farm animals. The deciding factor on what animal to use is its obedience and behavior in social settings.
There are several reasons why animals in therapy can be so effective, said Doty.
“They are unconditional with their love, they give people a sense of acceptance because they aren’t judgmental and they can help people feel more in control and less isolated,” said Doty.
In some cases, a pet can bring a person into a healthy human-to-human relationship because of the trust their learned to build and accept with a pet. More often than not, the student attending therapy will be more likely to open up to the therapist because the pet acts as an intermediary, calming the patient, explained Doty.
“Animals can provide something that human therapists just can’t. An animal can cross boundaries I can’t, with no strings attached,” said Doty.
The animals can serve as icebreakers for students, and a metaphor for the therapist to use. For example, a dog that throws its water dish because it’s empty is not being passive, but showing its feelings. Doty said she would use this to explain how students can be assertive.
Doty said the Counseling Center treats students with a variety of issues and mental illnesses. War vets, students with relationship conflicts, bipolar disorder, OCD, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, Autism, recovering drug users, sexual assault victims, and the most common problem, students with adjustment concerns about college, marriage and homesickness.
Also, according to Doty, a third of the patients report depression symptoms, and another third report anxiety symptoms. In any given semester, the Counseling Center will see around 300 to 400 clients, said Doty.
Students are eligible for treatment by pet therapy if he or she is a student on the Logan campus with at least six credits. The therapy is free, and is confidential. A student who is feeling any symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression should not hesitate to go, said Doty.
“Students who miss their pets back home can stop by anytime to just visit with the dogs,” said Doty.
Currently, the Counseling Center has two dogs, though they previously had cats. Remy is an Australian Cattle dog that was rescued; and Boris is a female that’s part Yellow Lab, part Retriever. Both are well socialized and very lovable.
While the pet therapy can be very successful, the counselors don’t recommend everyone actually owning a pet. Students with emotional problems may not be fit to care for an animal, said Doty.
Also, student housing can be difficult to find that will allow pets, not mention the financial pressure of owning a pet.
“People under the right conditions can own a pet, but it is a big responsibility, rather like having a child. It is definitely a two way street,” said Doty.
Shannon Clemens, a USU graduate student pursuing a Masters in Environmental Management, agreed, “People should think where they will be in 10 years, like where they will live, how much they’ll travel, and if they can afford pet. The pet should be considered part of the family.”
Clemens is a full-time volunteer for the Cache Valley non-profit shelter, Four Paws Rescue. The shelter, founded in 2002 by Logan resident Lisa Shaw, houses 80 to 90 dogs, and finds foster homes for near 40 cats. The animals are either surrendered by owners or taken from the pound.
When received, all of the animals are vaccinated, and are observed in social settings to see if they’re adoptable, said Clemens.
The cost to adopt a pet ranges from $125 to $200, according to Clemens. The shelter will allow someone, after an interview to see if they are pet-worthy, to take a pet home for a week for a trial run, said Clemens.
Clemens, who is a busy and now single student, agreed that pets are definitely therapy. Her dog, Gina, is a Lab and Pointer mix, and is her “best buddy.”
“My dog is my best buddy. We camp and hike together, and in many ways she has improved my life, especially in companionship,” said Clemens.
A student who is feeling stressed can save a pet, and the pet can save the student.
“A great animal interaction can really surprise a student, and even change their hearts,” said Doty.
1 comment:
Good story.Very relevant! Is the counseling center open during the finals week?
P.S.It's funny how the female dog is Boris. Boris is actually a human male name in Russia))
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