Interview: An Anonymous First-Year Lehigh Student who Suffers from Anxiety and Depression

I chose to interview a fellow Lehigh freshman who has had to deal with anxiety and depression for many years.  I prepared a couple carefully-worded questions to ask the student regarding anxiety. Throughout the interview, more questions branched off the original and notes on the responses were taken.  There were several points that came up regarding the student’s new college habits which appear to have an effect on the student’s mental illness. For example, the student claims to have had increased levels of anxiety since college began in August.  Similarly, the student states to also have had increased levels of stress. Exam weeks were said to be the worst, stress and anxiety-wise. When asked about the initial transition into college, the student admits to have had additional issues regarding the food and issues with new friendships.  On the other hand, the student does enjoy frequent trips to the gym, as exercise likely relieves some stress. Anxiety levels were said to have decreased this semester, as the student became more familiar with this new environment. Through this interview, I gained evidence that someone’s mental illness did get worse in college.  

Questions and Notes:

  1. How old are you?
    1. 19
  2. How was your first semester at college?
    1. Alright, had some fun times, others not as fun
      1. Stressed→ hard classes, lots of work
      2. Roommate issues
      3. Enjoyed partying
  3. What classes did you take last semester?
    1. Chemistry, calculus, freshman seminar about biology, english
  4. Have you ever been away from home for such an extended period of time?
    1. yes→ went to sleepaway camp a while ago for 3 weeks
  5. Did you experience any additional transitional issues?
    1. Didn’t like the food at first, missed family but not too much, more difficulties with class work, had a few friends but they’re not like home friends, went home more weekends than others
  6. Did you form any new relationships with people?
    1. Some friendships, refer to #5
  7. Has your anxiety increased/decreased at all since you have been away?
    1. Definitely increased at first but settled down a little, still get anxious about going to some classes, exam weeks are bad
  8. Family support?
    1. yes→ sometimes hard for them to understand though
  9. Do you take medications? Anything for anxiety?
    1. Prozac, did take Zoloft for some time
  10. Going out/social life
    1. Enjoys going out, goes out once a week on average
  11. Exercising?
    1. yes→ very often→ helps relax