Depression & Suicide Among College Students

A. Cukrowicz, K (03/2006).The Impact of Insomnia and Sleep Disturbances on Depression and Suicidality. Dreaming. 16(1), 11.
B. Elucidate: to make clear. (English Dictionary)
Elucidate: to make clear or manifest; to render more intelligible; to illustrate; as, an example will elucidate the subject. (Psychology Dictionary)
Suicidal Ideation: (could not find definition in either dictionary)
Symptomatology: (could not find definition in either dictionary)
Polysomnographic: (could not find definition in either dictionary)
Prevalence: the condition of being prevalent. (English Dictionary)

C. The purpose of this experiment was to find out if there is any link between insomnia and other sleep disorders. Also, to seek the impact of these sleep disturbances and insomnia on depression and the number of suicide victims, if any. This experiment was conducted in a non-treatment way and is solely to seek samples of college students, meaning that they only want college students to participate. According to this article, the hypothesis being tested is that insomnia and other sleep disturbances is the leading factor in depression, and will be likely to succeed into suicide in non-treatment participants.
D. The experiment was conducted through the study and the research of sleep patterns in young patients who were diagnosed with depression. According to researchers, those who were depressed had a greater problem with sleep, such as entering REM sleep much more quickly than a regular person who is not depressed, which then leads to a more negative effect in their dreams; meaning that depressed patients jump right into nightmares as soon as they fall to sleep, not necessarily falling into a deep sleep- just a negative one, compared to those who do not rush right into REM sleep, in which if nightmares occurring, will occur at the very end of sleep and will wake right after. This leading to the study of the impact of insomnia and sleep disturbances on suicidal ideation. Researchers concluded that sleep patterns were different between depressed students who are suicidal, and depressed students who are non-suicidal. Being that suicidal ideation, insomnia, and nightmares are common among university students, the current study was conducted to elucidate (make clear) not only the prevalence of these sleep patterns or problems, but also their interrelations with symptoms of depression and suicide. The participants of this study were 222 college students around the age of 19, some going on 20, from the Florida State University, Undergraduates of the Psychology Department. 158 being women & 64 men. Three indexes were included in this study: Insomnia Severity Index, Disturbing Dreams and Nightmare Severity Index, & the Depression Severity Index. A Beck Depression Inventory was also used. The participants went through a series of various procedures, in which each had to sign up for specific times in which they were to complete the study session. The studies were conducted in computer labs for convience in computer based administration. They were administered the ISI, DSISS, DDNSI, & BDI-between 2 & 27 participants, by a trained research assistant and were measured for suicidal ideation.
E. This study resulted in depression being significantly higher for all groups with sleep problems compared to the group with no sleep problems. They also indicated that the students who experienced nightmares had a higher suicide rate than those who were not experiencing nightmares. The rates of insomnia problems and nightmare problems were 16% and 8%, and only 6% were reported to have difficulty with both. These results clearly indicated that college students are commonly experiencing sleep disruptions.
F. The author concluded that there are a number of treatment implications for the findings of this particular study; Beginning with high correlations between sleep disturbances and depression and suicidality, indicating that the need for patients and therapists to monitor sleep regularly as part of the assessment process as well as the treatment plan.
G. The findings of this study relate to my life experience in the sense that I am a college student who often times have a hard time staying asleep. I don't quite know if it is associated with the busy schedule I have, I definitely am not depressed, but there are times when nightmares occur. This study still doesn't answer my question and has left me still wondering what the real problem is with us college students.