A growing number of today's college students are depressed, and seeking help isn't always easy, said UT Counseling Center Outreach Director Connie Briscoe, but intervention might be crucial to the person's health and campus safety.

"Several years ago we typically saw more developmental issues," she said in a phone interview, "like relationship breakups or stress over roommate conflicts or what major to apply for."

Now students are suffering from depression and anxiety disorders. In the worst-case scenario, a student will not get help and could end up harming others, such as the tragedies at Northern Illinois and Virginia Tech universities.

A 2006 American College Health Association survey shows 52 percent of students surveyed felt things were hopeless at least once, with 36 percent saying they have felt so depressed it was difficult to function. If left untreated, depression can lead to suicide, the second leading cause of death of college students, or violence toward others, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

But even if you spot a troubled friend or classmate, convincing them to receive counseling isn't always easy.

"We recommend that a person directly explains that they are concerned," Briscoe said. "Offer to actually walk the person over to the counseling center. Sometimes it's easier for someone to come in if they have someone come through the door with them. Help the student realize that it's not about being weak or sick or crazy, but it's the same as if you're going to see somebody about a (non-mental) medical issue." It's the same as if you're going to see somebody about a (non-mental) medical issue -Connie Briscoe, outreach director at UT's counseling center, on receiving counseling

Briscoe has been working at the center for two years. The center, located at 900 Volunteer Boulevard and across the street from Greve Hall, offers free, unlimited counseling services for its students. It has nine senior staff, four predoctoral interns and three graduate assistants for counseling Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Gregory Eells, Cornell University's director of counseling, said there should be at least one full-time counselor per 1,300 to 1,500 students to provide adequate services. With UT's total student population of about 27,000, this ratio is roughly one to 2,000, or for only undergraduates, one to approximately 1,530.

The center's free online mental health screening tool and informational meetings with parents during orientation help increase awareness about the center. But a popular myth is that a small number of mentally ill students are like ticking time bombs, and it's only a matter of time before they harm themselves or others. This isn't so, Briscoe said.

"One of the things we know is that the type of crisis where someone is thinking about harming themselves or someone else usually lasts for a very finite amount of time," she said. "There is always something that can be done, and that's the reason why we're here, to reach out and deal with those crisis issues.

"We also know that a person who is mentally ill is way more likely to be a victim of violence than to actually be a perpetrator of violence," she said. "There's a lot of misunderstanding. Most people who are mentally ill are victimized."