Pure Pedantry : Depression declines after leaving college, leaving home

Reality is always more complicated than you think.

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Jake Young is a MD/PhD student at Mount Sinai School of Medicine focusing in Neuroscience. He is due to graduate in 2032. He received a BS and a MS in Biological Sciences from Stanford University -- where he spent most of his time drinking heavily and building vegetable catapults instead of learning information that would now be eminently useful. When he is not failing terrifically to perform his sworn duties, he enjoys watching bad movies, ethnic food, and running.

Pure Pedantry is a blog about science -- social sciences and otherwise -- as well as academic and scientific culture. No one can live on science alone, so I also like to dwell on pop culture, periodically explore the humanities, and indulge in other types of geeky goodness.

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DISCLAIMERS: 1) Jake Young is not a licensed physician (yet). He is merely a medical student. The information published on this site is not intended for use in medical decision making. Please seek advice from a licensed, medical professional before making any health decisions. 2) The opinions expressed are my own or those of my co-bloggers. They do not represent the views of SEED magazine or the educational establishments we currently attend.

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Depression declines after leaving college, leaving home

Category: Depression
Posted on: May 14, 2008 9:54 AM, by Jake Young

Well that is reassuring:

A new University of Alberta study of almost 600 of its graduates (ages 20-29 years old) tracked mental health symptoms in participants for seven years post-graduation and looked at how key events like leaving home and becoming a parent were related to depression and anger. Graduates showed a significant decrease in depressive symptoms over the seven years. Expressed anger also declined over time after graduation, suggesting improved mental health.
The researchers also found that while home may be a haven for young people in the early years of adulthood, the longer they stay at home, or if they return home, the more likely they are to experience symptoms of depression. Previous research has found that more than half of students under 25 in four-year university programs lived with their parents.

In this study, it was shown that younger participants were more depressed at times when they lived on their own, while older participants were more depressed while they lived with their parents.

In spite of all the travails of personal and professional life, I can always comfort myself that at least I don't live at home. (This is an impression that I assure you my parents share.) Not tested in this study were the increases in parent anxiety and depression from the delayed adolescence of their children.

This is a values issue, but I never was quite happy until I started taking care of myself. Though economic pressures often keep children at home longer than they would like, I can't but think that it comes at a price.

(I love you, Mom and Dad, and I will still visit!)

Find more posts in: Brain & Behavior Medicine & Health

Comments

Spending another four years after high school working hard under high pressure at classes day after day that you don't necessarily want to be in is depressing, and this depression lifts when you're free of it? Who'd a thunk it?!!

Posted by: Ian | May 14, 2008 12:10 PM

It was revealed that women were more depressed and angry at the start of the study than men.We found that people who became parents became angrier, and this was especially pronounced for mothers and this depression Diminishes the ability to think or concentrate or indecisiveness.
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Aditi
Dual Diagnosis
http://www.dual-diagnosis.net

Posted by: Aditi | June 22, 2008 11:11 PM