Chances are that a student you know is struggling with depression.

And unfortunately it’s… Chances are that a student you know is struggling with depression.

And unfortunately it’s possible that student isn’t receiving the treatment he or she needs.

As the rate of diagnosed depression in college students hovers between 10 and 20 percent, despite most colleges’ best efforts, collegiate depression often goes unnoticed and unreported. A 2008 study from researchers at Emory University found that 85 percent of surveyed students who screened positive for depression were not receiving treatment, and a 2004 Harvard Medical School study found the delay between onset of mental health symptoms and treatment is on average more than a decade.

Depression is the most common mental disorder.

It is associated with reduced interest or pleasure in daily activities, feelings of worthlessness, risk of self-injury, falling GPAs and a horror that too regularly afflicts the Pitt community — suicide.

There’s no doubt our University proactively combats depression. The 2,000-or-so students who visit the Counseling Center each year and the University’s ongoing involvement in the Talk About It — formerly Talk To Me — depression awareness campaign confirm this. According to James Cox, the director of the Counseling Center, identification of mental health issues is emphasized as well. “We are actively involved and consult with the Office of Residence Life staff, concerned friends, parents and faculty regarding students who may suffer from depression and other mental health problems,” he said in an e-mail.

It’s tough to judge the efficacy of counseling services, and without the proper resources, we won’t try. But in light of a research paper published this month in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, we think the way Pitt identifies students needing treatment for depression could be improved.

In the study, scientists based at the University of Wisconsin surveyed college students at four university health clinics located in the Midwest, the Northwest and Canada. Consistent with previous research that found a higher prevalence of depression among people utilizing primary health care than the general population, they similarly found higher-than-average rates of depression in students who visited their university clinics. Backed by their results, the paper’s authors argue for the “routine screening for depression in all students seeking routine care in college health clinics.”

If extrapolated to Pitt, their proposal would affect the Student Health Service. Although it does ask students to indicate a past history of mental health problems at their initial visit, Student Health “does not routinely have students complete a depression screen at every visit,” Elizabeth Wettick, director of Student Health, said in an e-mail.

Even as Pitt has stressed mental health awareness and as the Counseling Center serves more students each year, we think the authors created a new opportunity to enhance Pitt’s services. Screening students for depression at Student Health could have drawbacks — such as potentially reducing demand for appointments — but at least a pilot program is worth exploring.

Student Health screens offer the ability to cast a wider net in which to catch those who could really benefit from help, but would otherwise shy away from publicly displaying their needs.

Making that first step — realizing the need to get help and contacting the appropriate professionals — can be hard for many people, but a simple survey at Student Health could make it a little easier.

If a few more harmless questions on the Student Health intake form could make a positive difference — of any size — in students’ lives, why not try?