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Show Thursday, January 26, 2006 ™ DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE 32 *** Paid Advertisement • * * SENIORS KEEP THEIR HEADS UP continued from Pagd 9 DEPRESSION RND HCflDEMIC IMPRIRMENT IN COLLEGE STUDENTS Anyone regardless of age, gender, race, or socioeconomic status, can suffer from depression, Depression is not a weakness or a character flaw, it is a real medical illness, Individuals with depression are not just moody or have "the blues* for a few days, they have prolonged periods of feeling very sad and lose Interest in social and dally activities. Depression changes the way a person feels, thinks, and behaves. The American College Health Association (ACHA) took a poll nationwide on what contributes to a college student dropping out or causes academic impairment, and depression rates as one of the top ten reasons. Depression is among the one of the most common psychological health issues facing college students. However trie causes of depression are not always clear, There are many reasons why a person might become depressed, Some of these reasons Include; traumatic life experiences such as the death of a loved one, diseases, medications, substance abuses or hormonal changes. Sometimes the cause of depression is genetic and somelimes it is unknown, Whatever the causes of the depression, depression is a serious psychological issue that affects so many different aspects of a person's life, that help should be sought, There are several signs and symptoms of depression ar\ individual may hove, This** include: Depressed or irrftabte mood most of the day to nearly every day Loss of interest or pleasure in activities (i.e. hobbles, work, sex, or with friends) most of the day to long periods of time A sudden change in weight or appetite Inability to sleep or sleeping to much Agit&tton or restlessness Constant fatigue or loss of energy Frequent feelings of worthlessness or guilt Difficulty concentrating or making decisions Frequent thoughts of death or suidde These are the signs and symptoms of depression. Depression may differ from person to person and severity may vary, but in any case, help should be sought before It gets worse. College students who suffer from depression are likely to struggle academically, The symptoms of sadness, hopelessness, fatigue, poor concentration, difficulty remembering and lack of enthusiasm In classes tend to cause problems with school performance, For many, difficulty sleeping, eating, and the physical pain of stomach aches or headaches make doing well in school even more difficult, These symptoms of depression will result in academic impairment due to the lack of enthusiasm and energy, will manifest as missed time from class, decreased academic productivity, and significant interpersonal problems at school. College students suffering from depression are often caught In a ' downward cycle in which work, horns, and academic problems and depressive symptoms exacerbate each ottw There are many causes to depression, such a$ traumatic life experiences, hormonal changes, family history of depression, or substance abuse, Some cases of depression are result of stress, low self-esteem, financial strain, and feeling lonely or isolated. Whatever the cause of depression may be, it is a serious psychological health issue that has many symptoms such as changes in eating habits, changes in sleeping habits, poor concentration, reeling very low or irritable, loss of energy, loss of interest, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt When depression does take bold, it often has a negative effect on school performance because the preoccupation from feelings of worthlessness and/ or thoughts of death will attribute to decreased academic productivity or missed classed which in turn leads to academic impairment Ail in all, depression affects so many different aspects of a- person^ life that it is important to know when and how to talk about i t Nevertheless, when and how to tell family and friends about the condition is a personal decision and it is up to the individual suffering to decide when the time is right. But keep in mind that there are methods of treating the depression before it gets worse. Whether rt is just having someone to talk to or other medical methods, there are many methods of treating the depression. Expressing your feelings and confiding in people you trust can help the treatment outcome, Student Health Service is available to help you cope or direct you to services that can help. For more information or to schedule an appointment please call Student Hearth Service at 581.6431 or contact Jason Gillman at 585.1274. j tmJK For more information about Student Health Service, SHAG, or Head to Toe contact 585-1274, Funded in part by the University of Utah PuWieajkms Council, It's about getting better today and trying to be successful." Giacoletti and the players insist that morale is still high and everyone still expects to peak come postseason, but that's not keeping some players from taking it upon themselves to help the next generation get better. "I've taken on a role, even previous to this year, where I've just tried to help Luke (Ncvill) develop and do what I can to help him out," Jackson, a senior center, said. "If that's what it comes to at the end, then that's fine with me." It may not be the perfect way to finish up careers that have been to several NCAA Tournaments and a Sweet-16, but as long as the team is going forward, the seniors can make do with what has turned into a disappointing season. "It's all right," Markson said. "The team's young, but they're learning and having fun." The Utes will get a chance to get back on track this Saturday when TCU visits the Huntsman Center at r p.m. The Horned Frogs are having similar struggles to the Utes, currently holding a 5-14 overall record, with a 1-4 mark in MWC play. Senior center Chris Jackson muscles his way inside against San Diego j.beatty@chronicle.utah.edu State Jan. 11 at the Huntsman Center. chance at conference." Women's Team The defending conference champions for the past two seasons, the women's squad has also survived the loss of some key senior performers from 2005 to run off a perfect continued from Page 9 conference record (5-0 MWC, "He returned from a mission 6-1 overall). and got back to good form a "It's pretty special to be a lot faster than we expected," part of this team," Litzinger Litzinger said. said. "It's the strongest group we've had by far. We weren't Breastroke Another thin area for the even in this league three years Utes, Litzinger has relied ago. It seems like every class heavily on sophomore Michel I've had has added more and DeCarolis in the breaststroke more in terms of talent." events. Litzinger thinks his current "He's filling the biggest hole group is in great shape for we've had this year," Litzinger postseason. said. "It's obviously an area "We're hitting our stride in which we're looking 10 im- righc now. We have quality prove." and depth throughout every DeCarolis has the sixth-best event, and we should be in 200 breast time in the confer- good shape for the conference ence, as well as the seventh- meet." best time in the 100 breast. Freestyle Butterfly Mountain West Conference "They're young," Litzinger Swimmer of the Week Amber said. "They really represent Walter has been outstanding our next wave. They've been in the 50 and the 100, with the tested a lot this year, and some- best conference scores this times they've responded well, season in both. sometimes not so much." Freshmen Jennifer FredLarsen has the best Ute sail and Shannon McQueen time in the 100 fly (50.91, fifth have fared well in their rookie in MWC), while sophomore campaigns, taking some of Andrew Brown has been solid the pressure off captain Amy in both fly events (eighth in Barefield. MWC in roo, 10th in 200). "Amy has really been Individual Medley through the ringer for four "We don't have any medley years here," Litzinger said. specialists on the men's side," "It's nice to have the depth to Litzinger said. "We do have a give her some support." The couple of'tweeners' that have depth continues in the middle done a good job of filling this distance events, where junior hole for us." One of those, Rachael Curci has dominated backstroke specialist Andrew in the 500,1000, and 1650 free. Backstroke Cole, recorded the fifth best conference time in the 200IM, McQueen has been a huge while sophomore Nick Philpot addition for the U in this provides much-needed depth event and will compete for in the 400. titles in the roo and 200 back. Junior Marissa Martin and Relays While it doesn't look as senior Leah Jensen have also though the Utes will have given Litzinger steady performuch of a chance to compete mances. for the 800 free, 200 IM and "We really battle it out on 400 IM titles, the Utes will backstroke," Litzinger said. try to overcome top-ranked "All three of our top swimmers BYU in the 200 and 400 free- compete for wins each week. style relays for the conference It's a nice problem'to have." crown. Breastroke Diving Walter, a triple-threat (free, Sterling Richards paces the breast, fly) is the conference's conference with top scores in best swimmer in the 100 both the i-meter and 3-meter breast. After her, however, the events. Also posting top-10 drop-off is rather severe. Litzconference ""marks were ju- inger is hoping that sophoniors Damien Brown and An- more Adrienne Cob urn will drew Jones, while senior Jacob help in that regard. Jewett added another top-ro "She's just getting back into on the 3-meter board. form after being injured all "We've got the best divers fall," he said. "We're expecting in the league," Litzinger said. big things from her." "We got a new coach this year Butterfly (Katie Beth Bryant) who has Freshman Fredsall really done a great job of improving stands out in this event. "Jenour team. Allfivedivers have a nifer's definitely someone to SWIMMING HEADS INTO THE BACK STRETCH Apply to be editor in chief. s.qeh rke@ch ron tele, u tahedu # v* ! 'r keep an eye on in the future," Litzinger said. Fredsall has the top conference time in the 100fly,while three other Utes have had top ten scores. The U also has three swimmers in the top ten of the 200 fly (with Fredsall at second). Individual Medley Coburn and McQueen are the medley "standouts." Though the Utes are deep enough to field an ultra competitive relay medley team, they do not have any individual conference title hopefuls. Relay The Utes could end up being favorites at the conference meet in all five relay events. They have already posted the top times this year in four of the five. In both the 400 free and the 400 medley relays the U even has an extra (or "B") team with a top-four time. Diving Kelsey Patterson, a six-time winner of the Diver of the Week award, is the top diver in the MWC on the i-meter board and is ranked fourth on the 3-meter. Freshman Anna Braszkiewicz from Warsaw, Poland, has had a strong showing in her first year with the program. Championship Outlook Before they start looking too far ahead, the Utes will take on rivals BYU in Provo (Feb. 2, 6 p.m.) next week. They will then take a twoweek break until the conference championships begin in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Feb. 15-17)"I just hope everyone swims their fastest," Amy Barefield said of the conference meet "I have a lot of pride in this team, and I'm real excited to see how it turns out." While the women are expected to compete for titles in numerous events, the bulk of a young men's squad will just be looking to soak in the experience. "It's going to be an eyeopener for them," Larsen said. It's possible that the season will extend beyond the MWC Championships for a few select Utes. Litzinger said he expects swimmers Walter and Fredsall to join Larsen at the NCAA Championships in Georgia this March. All three will be trying to cut down their times over the next thr.ee weeks while crossing their ringers in the hopes of qualifying. "They have a great chance," Litzinger said. m.piper@ chronicle.utah.edu • • |