College Student Grief Awareness Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Student Depression

College Student Grief Awareness Day is celebrated on April 20 this year. Every year, the third Thursday of April is set aside for this national awareness day created to recognize college students, their struggles, and the toll it takes on their mental health. According to statistics, at least one in every five U.S. college students suffers from grief or melancholy considering the continuous pressure they face. This holiday raises awareness of that and encourages conversation on methods to improve the situation.

The background of College Student Grief Awareness Day

Psychological issues and pathologies haven’t always been well understood. Although depressive disorders are well documented nowadays, college student grief is generally considered a recent development with several distinctions identified.

The earliest mention of depression as we perceive it today can be traced back to the mid-19th century. French psychiatrist Louis La Siauve is by far one of the earliest scholars to research depression as a psychiatric symptom. Throughout the 20th century, the classification of psychological disorders and symptoms saw constant development, evolving into several subclasses. Later on, depression amongst youths and adolescents started garnering the interest of academics and researchers. Students, in particular, endured the most, considering the pressures of academics and, in some cases, personal grief.

As of the late ‘90s and early 2000s, melancholy and grief among university students became a more documented issue. Recent studies indicate that 44% of university students in America suffer grief-related issues, particularly depression. This has inspired many initiatives on the issue. The Actively Moving Forward (A.M.F.) group began as a student organisation in 2004, organizing support groups for college students to help them cope with personal grief and depression. The group has assisted over 2000 students across several universities in the United States. A.M.F. created College Student Grief Awareness Day in 2015 to get people conversing about the issue.

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5 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT STUDENT DEPRESSION

According to statistics, at least one in every six college students is suffering from melancholy or grief.

Suicide due to depression is the second most prevalent cause of death amongst college and university students.

The earliest symptoms of depression in a college student almost always appear in their first year, which molds much of their outlook for the remainder of their study period.

Depression sometimes has no apparent causes and can remain even after any identifiable cause ceases.

Depression and grief can often show no visible symptoms, and sufferers rarely seek support or professional assistance.

COLLEGE STUDENT GRIEF AWARENESS DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2022	April 21	Thursday
2023	April 20	Thursday
2024	April 18	Thursday
2025	April 17	Thursday
2026	April 16	Thursday