Depression: implications for learning and education

Depression is a prevalent mental disorder that involves low mood, lack of pleasure and reduced energy. Previous research on depression, learning, and education has focused on developing and testing preventive interventions. However, as these interventions are not entirely effective, there is a need to understand how to best manage depression in the educational system so that affected individuals may progress and grow. Supporting students with depression requires knowing how the disorder may affect psychological processes that are vital for learning and knowledge acquisition, and I propose that depression may compromise cognitive focus, hinder intrinsic motivation, and lower self-confidence. Additionally, supporting affected students requires knowing how to best interact with them, and I suggest five strategies that may be beneficial to adopt, namely limiting destructivity, instilling hope, promoting control, embracing failure, and fostering understanding. Finally, I discuss the opportunities for and the obstacles to intervention.