Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

Part of the problem is that students are 
reluctant to use counseling services per-
haps because they tend to believe that their 
problems just aren’t serious enough to war-
rant doing so. The survey found that while 
84% of students reported having a source of 
support that they could rely on if they were 
feeling bad or had suicidal thoughts, most 
looked to friends or family. Only 20% said 
that they would consider campus counsel-
ing resources (Laven, 2008; Associated 
Press, 2009; Benac & Tompson, 2009). 
• Do you think college students might be at particular risk for developing a psycho-
logical disorder? Why?
• Why might having a parent lose a job during the school year lead to an increased 
risk for depression?
RETHINK
Novello suggested that what “in women is called PMS [premenstrual syndrome, a 
similar classifi cation] in men is called healthy aggression and initiative” (Cotton, 
1993, p. 270). Advocates for including the disorder prevailed, however, and “premen-
strual dysphoric disorder” appears in the appendix of DSM-IV-TR (Hartung & Widiger, 
1998; Pearlstein & Steiner, 2008). 
Such controversies underline the fact that our understanding of abnormal behav-
ior refl ects the society and culture in which we live. Future revisions of DSM may 
include a different catalog of disorders. Even now, other cultures might include a list 
of disorders that are very different from the list that appears in the current DSM , as 
we discuss next.
In spite of the high percentage of college students reporting mood disorders, few take 
advantage of available mental health resources.
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