Rhetorical Analysis

Depression is a problem that majority of college students will deal with at some point in their academic career. It is almost impossible to avoid having some kind of mental breakdown within these four years. In fact, its normal to feel overwhelmed and have anxiety when it comes how much work you are forced to take on at a time. Time management is important, being able to efficiently management how you will spend your time is important because it will keep you organized and prevent you from falling behind. Attention has been brought to this issue through a series of media outlets. There are also various resources provided to students that encourage the to speak about the problems they face. Although these resources are available, many students are unaware of them, by making these resources more available and more public students will be able to utilize them making it easier for them to keep up with their responsibilities.

The Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” is a show about a girl in high school named Hannah Baker who committed suicide because she was bullied by her peers. She reached out for help and nobody gave her the attention she needed, if she had received the attention she needed her life could have been saved. The show hit like a tornado. Social Media was full of memes and discussions about the show. Some argued that it was too intense and graphic, but in reality this was what was needed, to bring awareness to how important this issue is. People respond better to tragedy: witnessing a young girl take her life so vividly gives viewers something to think about. What Hannah goes through in “13 Reasons Why” is a direct result of depression, because she was dealing with a sense of aloneness. Hannah left behind tapes documenting all the events leading up to her suicide. Most reactions to the show were from people on social media. Some were outraged saying that the images were too graphic and were worried that they could influence others feeling like Hannah did. Others thought it was good that this was finally being talked about since it such a common thing, not only amongst teenagers but also adults. But the most common reaction amongst my own peers was “why did she have to do all that, she must’ve been real weak to not be able to handle that” or “what they said to her wasn’t even that bad”. These comments were not only insensitive but they are ignorant: instead of empathizing with her situation, they questioned why she even got herself into those situations. The reactions to this show, mostly from young adults is a reflection of how people that age view important issues such as mental health.

The mental health issue is continuing to grow on college campuses all over the country, forcing administration to take more action to assist those students. In order to make sure students have the resources they need, it is important to make then knowledgeable and aware of those on campus to help. There are counselors, advisors and mentors that are able to devote time to meeting with students and providing a safe environment where they feel comfortable enough to talk about the problems they are facing. “Rates of anxiety and depression have similarly sky-rocketed in the last few decades. A 2013 survey of college students found that 57% of women and 40% of men reported experiencing episodes of “overwhelming anxiety” in the past year, and 33% of women and 27% of men reported a period in the last year of feeling so depressed it was difficult to function.” (Henriques, 2014) It is becoming more common that students will suffer from on of these diseases and providing help for them will avoid them resulting to extreme measures. This article also focuses on the cause of these diseases, the most common being as simple as sleep deprivation. “Yet, with college students averaging just over 6 hours of sleep and the serious problems associated with sleep deprivation clearly documented, the poor sleep patterns are not to be taken lightly and are likely significantly associated with mental health problems in other domains.” (Henriques, 2014) While it’s common for students to lose sleep while they are in school as they are overwhelmed with assignments and deadlines, this isn’t an excuse for them to ignore the effect sleep deprivation has on their mental health.

Christopher Biehn was class president in High School, in his senior year he was accepted to Ithaca College in upstate New York on a full scholarship. Biehn found himself struggling to keep up with his classes and he quickly became overwhelmed with all the assignments he had to complete. He decided to take a break and find a way to manage his bipolar disorder. It is in his best interest to return to Ithaca, but it isn’t realistic. The reality is the stress he was forced to endure scarred him, he is no longer able to withstand extreme pressure. “More than 60 percent of college students said they had experienced “overwhelming anxiety” in the past year, according to a 2018 report from the American College Health Association. Over 40 percent said they felt so depressed they had difficulty functioning.” (Wolverton, 2019) Since this is such a common issue it requires more attention and there should be steps taken to help. Informing the amount of resources, such as therapist counselors and hotlines that are available for students is important. Making students aware of them will gradually encourage them to utilize them. Maybe if Biehn was aware of these services, he could’ve avoided feeling overwhelmed.

When feeling overwhelmed most students turn to illegal substances such as drugs and alcohol. Commonly, marijuana and over the counter pills. These substances are known to put you at a relaxed state and help you focus more, which is much needed when you are overwhelmed by assignments. Although these drugs help in the moment, the long term affected can be life threatening. A new trend has serviced and has quickly spread through college campuses. Students are doing hookah and using vape pens. Hookah is a water based pipe that hold flavored tobacco. Many students aren’t aware of the effects that hookah has on your body it is the equivalent of smoking cigarettes which are not only addictive but are harmful on your lungs. “Hookah users were more likely to use other substances, including cigarettes, cannabis, alcohol, cocaine, and amphetamines, compared with those who had not used hookah. Of all the substances measured, alcohol and cigarette use were most strongly associated with hookah use.” (clinicalkey, 2014) This clearly represents the formation of an addiction which is one of the side effects of depression. “yet, unlike cigarette smoking, hookah use shows no link with mental health problems or stress.” (clinicalkey, 2014)Without them you might begin to feel every more hopeless and feel as though you must depend on them. Although substances do not directly lead to mental health issues, they can be fuel to an already burning fire.

Finding a way to help those suffering from any disease is important because there’s no way a student will be able to perform at their highest if they are unstable mentally. Without the support of the institution they attend they are unable to complete their four years and get the degree. In order to guarantee students get the attention they need there needs to not all be an enforcement of the resources that are provided to students but and the use of social media to spread the word so that students are aware of the help being provided.

Sources –