The Reading / Listening - Depression - Level 4

Depression among college students more than doubled between 2013 and 2021. Anxiety among students rose by 110 per cent, while depression jumped by 135 per cent. In 2021, over 60 per cent of students had some kind of mental health problem. This is double the figure from eight years ago. Even though alarm bells are ringing among mental health experts, the number of students trying therapy has fallen by 18 per cent.

Depression among students has been going up for decades. A researcher said: "The age of onset for lifetime mental health problems also directly coincides with traditional college years." Living away from home, can often be very stressful and cause depression. COVID-19, lockdowns, and school closures all worsened this mental health crisis. Many students are worried about their increasingly uncertain futures.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Depression - Level 5 or  Depression - Level 6

Sources
  • https://nypost.com/2022/08/18/majority-of-college-students-have-a-mental-illness-study/
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11117777/Rates-depression-college-students-jumped-135-2013-2021.html
  • https://www.foxnews.com/us/majority-college-students-suffering-from-mental-illness-anxiety-depression-rise-study


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Depression among
  2. more than
  3. rose
  4. some kind of mental
  5. double the figure
  6. alarm bells
  7. mental health
  8. the number of students trying
  1. are ringing
  2. by 110 per cent
  3. therapy
  4. from eight years ago
  5. doubled
  6. experts
  7. college students
  8. health problem

Paragraph 2

  1. going up for
  2. lifetime mental
  3. coincides with traditional
  4. Living away
  5. school
  6. worsened this mental health
  7. Many students are
  8. increasingly
  1. worried
  2. from home
  3. uncertain futures
  4. closures
  5. college years
  6. decades
  7. health problems
  8. crisis

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Depression among college students (1) ___________________ between 2013 and 2021. Anxiety among (2) ___________________ 110 per cent, while (3) ___________________ 135 per cent. In 2021, over 60 per cent of students had (4) ___________________ mental health problem. This is (5) ___________________ from eight years ago. Even though alarm bells are ringing among mental health experts, the number of students trying (6) ___________________ by 18 per cent.

Depression among students has been going (7) ___________________. A researcher said: "The age of (8) ___________________ mental health problems also (9) ___________________ traditional college years." Living away from home, can often (10) ___________________ and cause depression. COVID-19, lockdowns, and (11) ___________________ worsened this mental health crisis. Many students are worried about their (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Depressionamongcollegestudentsmorethandoubledbetween2013a
nd2021.Anxietyamongstudentsroseby110percent,whiledepression
jumpedby135percent.In2021,over60percentofstudentshadsomeki
ndofmentalhealthproblem.Thisisdoublethefigurefromeightyearsag
o.Eventhoughalarmbellsareringingamongmentalhealthexperts,the
numberofstudentstryingtherapyhasfallenby18percent.Depressiona
mongstudentshasbeengoingupfordecades.Aresearchersaid:"Theag
eofonsetforlifetimementalhealthproblemsalsodirectlycoincideswith
traditionalcollegeyears."Livingawayfromhome,canoftenbeverystre
ssfulandcausedepression.COVID-19,lockdowns,andschoolclosures
allworsenedthismentalhealthcrisis.Manystudentsareworriedaboutt
heirincreasinglyuncertainfutures.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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