Global Issues

Happy New Year SCASFAA! Greetings from the Global Issues committee. As we all settle in and prepare for the oncoming rush of returning students I hope you come back from the holiday season rested, rejuvenated, and ready to face a new award season. January marks the start of one of the busiest times of year for financial aid personnel so for many of us the holiday break is the downtime we need to feel fortified to face the upcoming months. However there are many for whom the holidays are not restful and are, in fact, a trigger for depression.

 

No doubt, over the years you’ve likely heard that suicide rates spike during the holidays. That’s not actually true. According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics

“the suicide rate is, in fact, the lowest in December. The rate peaks in the spring and the fall. This pattern has not changed in recent years. The holiday suicide myth supports misinformation about suicide that might ultimately hamper prevention efforts.” [1]

Why is this relevant now? The relevancy lies in the fact that as higher education professionals we are likely to be faced with numerous populations of students in the coming days that are suffering from depression or other mental illness that has been exacerbated by the holiday season. While there may not be an increase in the number of suicides during the holiday, there is a steep increase in depression that can lead to suicidal ideation and the increase in suicide rates in the spring.

 

Who’s at Risk?

            As financial aid professionals we are in a unique position to interact with those students who are struggling to cope with depression, stress, or other emotional issues. Finances are one of the most stressful aspects of the college experience, so students visiting Financial Aid are often doing so in high stress situations that may make holiday-triggered depression worse. Students most vulnerable to holiday triggered depression include any student that has lost family members, students for whom their home environment may be abusive, veterans still attempting to cope with transitioning back to civilian life or with PTSD, and youth in the foster care system. The commonality between each of these groups of students is that they are already susceptible to depression. The stress of the holiday can simply make that depression worse.

 

What Can I Do?

Financial Aid personnel are ideally situated to help reach out to those that may be coming back to campus suffering from, or at-risk for, depression. So this January, as you begin seeing students and gearing up for your busiest time of year, the Global Issues committee would like remind you that you can make a difference.

1.      Be aware of the background of each student you work with. Be sensitive to signs of depression, particularly if you note that the student is a homeless youth at risk, a veteran, has recently lost a parent, or is part of the foster care system.

2.      Don’t know what to look for? Educate yourself and students on the signs and symptoms of depression? http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-and-college-students/index.shtml[2] Our jobs are not simply to refer a student to counseling services on our campus, but to remind students that they are not alone.

3.      Be familiar with the services available to your students. Did you know that veterans are eligible to receive free career counseling services under Chapter 36 benefits? In veterans still trying to transition back to civilian life, career uncertainty and financial worries during the holiday can exacerbate stress, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Being able to assure returning service men and women that career counseling is available may help mitigate stress. Need more information? Visit http://www.benefits.va.gov/vocrehab/edu_voc_counseling.asp to learn more about Chapter 36 benefits.

 

All too often for those of us working the trenches of financial aid, it’s easy to get caught up in the stress of the award season, changing regulations, training, software updates, compliance issues, and federal reporting. This January, let’s remember that we have the privilege everyday of working with students in a way that is life changing. We make it possible for dreams to come true for every student that needs financial aid to access to higher education.  Some students lose sight of that dream due to depression; let’s find a way to help them hang on. Be aware, be sensitive; be hope for those that are struggling. Our profession is a tremendous blessing, but it’s also a weighty responsibility. Let’s be prepared to do it right this semester.  Good luck out there SCASFAA…!

 

Donna Quick, Global Issues Committee Chair

 

---

[1] The Annenberg Public Policy Center. [Online]. (2010). The holiday-suicide link: The myth persists. The Annenberg Public Policy Center (producer). Available from URL: http://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/Downloads/Releases/ACI/Holiday%20Suicide%20release%202010.pdf [Accessed 2014 Dec 13].

 

[2] National Institute of Mental Health. [Online] (2012). Depression and College Students. National Institute of Mental Health (producer) Available from URL: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-and-college-students/index.shtml. [Accessed 2015 Jan. 11]