Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

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as a disorder in DSM . Furthermore, some critics complained that use of the label 
had the effect of condemning targets of abuse for their plight—a blame-the-victim 
phenomenon—and as a result, the category was removed from the manual. 
A second and even more controversial category was premenstrual dysphoric disor-
der, which is characterized by severe, incapacitating mood changes or depression 
related to a woman’s menstrual cycle. Some critics argued that the classifi cation sim-
ply labels normal female behavior as a disorder. Former U.S. Surgeon General Antonia 
536 Chapter 
15 
Psychological Disorders
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537
Applying Psychology
in the 21st Century
Students Stressed 
and Depressed
The years spent in college are often thought 
to be a carefree time fi lled with growth, in-
tellectual stimulation, and socializing. But 
a recent survey shows that the opposite 
may be true: 85% of college students re-
ported feeling stressed in their daily lives 
and cited such stress factors as grades, 
school work, fi nances, family issues, and 
relationships (Associated Press, 2009).
More troubling is the fact that many stu-
dents reported mood problems. Forty-two 
percent said they had felt down, depressed, 
or hopeless for at least several days during 
the prior two weeks. More than half re-
ported feeling tired or having sleep prob-
lems. More than a third said they felt bad 
about themselves or that they felt like a fail-
ure, and 38% reported having little interest 
or pleasure in doing things. Eleven percent 
said they had recently had thoughts that 
they would be better off dead or that they 
wanted to hurt themselves in some way.
In all, 9% of college students were 
judged to be at risk of at least moderate de-
pression. Having a parent who had lost a 
job during the school year seemed to be an 
important risk factor: It doubled the 
chances that a student would be at risk for 
at least mild depression and would report 
thoughts of being better off dead.
Another poll found that 55% of under-
graduate students had thoughts of suicide 
at least one time, and 18% had seriously 
considered it. In addition, the severity of 
mental health issues among students at-
tending college has been on the rise. One 
reason is that more people with relatively 
severe psychological disorders are now at-
tending college as a result of better treat-
ment options (Jayson, 2008).
Despite their stress and depression, sur-
prisingly few students report taking advan-
tage of the mental health resources that are 
available to them. Of those who showed at 
least moderate symptoms of depression, 
only a third sought counseling, while fewer 
than half of those who had suicidal thoughts 
had done so. Many hadn’t even familiarized 
themselves with the mental health resources 
that were available on campus.