There is a widespread stigma about depression. With incoming freshmen at a higher risk for depression, it is important to encourage and support friends, roommates, family members and classmates.

As Mental Health of America states, “Depression can occur to anyone at any age and to people of any race or ethnic group.” It further reports that a lot of people refuse treatment because of the assumption that depression is not serious and it must be a personal weakness, instead of an illness.

The stigma that depression is a weakness that one can overcome rather than a mental illness is the stigma that we need to eliminate. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “an estimated 16 million adults ages 18 or older in the U.S. had at least one major depressive episode in the past year.” Women are also 70 percent more likely to experience depression than men.

The problem is that “as many as two-thirds of Americans with severe depression are not on medication,” according to New York Daily News. This is the other part of the depression stigma that needs to change. People are more afraid to admit having depression — and thus getting help — than they are of the effects untreated depression can cause.

Depression can become a serious condition in the patient’s life. “Untreated depression increases the chance of risky behaviors such as drug or alcohol addiction,” according to WebMD. Depression will take a toll on your relationships, eating habits, sleeping schedule and your overall performance on a daily basis.

WebMD continues to show that there is increasing evidence of clinical depression affecting your physical health. One can experience increased stress hormone levels, decreased immune system functions and even heart disease. Most importantly, as Robin Williams has shown, depression can be fatal. Suicide Awareness Voices of Education reports that “15 percent of those who are clinically depressed die by suicide.”

I find it very difficult to stomach that good people are suffering or dying when there is help available. As college students, we have resources that we are not fully taken advantage of, such as counseling services, hotlines, psychiatrists, medication and even our state-of-the-art fitness facilities.

The students that have the least knowledge of those services are also the ones at higher risk for depression: freshmen. “Freshman year in college is a common time for a first major depressive break,” according to Julie Hersh of Psychology Today. She also warns of the realness of depression, with suicide being the second highest cause of death for college students.

Freshmen find themselves thrown into completely new surroundings with classmates they do not know. They can decide to party until 3 a.m., sleep well past noon, eat ice cream for breakfast and never touch a vegetable again if that’s what they please. There are also the increased pressures of heavy workloads, working while taking classes and finding out what kind of person you want to be.

The result of being surrounded by so much “new” is that people are unaware of how your normal behavior was prior to college. Ultimately, it is not up to anyone else but yourself to decide if you feel depressed and need to seek help, but peers can help by observing signs and being there for friends and classmates.

The Mayo Clinic reports feelings of sadness or emptiness, irritability and frustration, loss of interest in normal activities — such as sex — sleep disturbances, tiredness and lack of energy, trouble with concentration and frequent thoughts of suicide and death as some common symptoms. More symptoms are available on its site.

If you notice these behaviors in a friend, classmate or coworker, you should talk to them. It is important to let them know you care, are there for them and accept them with no criticism. You should also advise them to get help. If it is a person you are not comfortable confronting but are concerned, you could reach out to the professor or your boss with your concerns.

If you notice these symptoms within yourself, know that you are not alone. Iowa State has services available to students: student counseling, psychiatrists and medical treatment. Student counseling is on the third floor of the Student Services Building and is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. There are also walk-ins 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to noon Friday. Other information is found on its website.

Psychiatric help can be found in the Theilen Student Health Center. You need to call 515-294-5801 to make an appointment. Unfortunately, due to short staffing, students can experience long wait times for their first appointment. If you cannot wait for their next appointment time, Ames has other services such as the Central Iowa Psychological Services.

Depression is a serious mental illness that should not be taken lightly. More people will seek help if they feel encouragement. We need to take steps forward, such as congratulating patients for seeking help instead of snickering at them. We’re college students — we’re all experiencing these years together so we might as well look out for each other on this crazy ride.