Assistant professor Dr. Marwan Abdulatif

It is the nature of man  to be influenced  by life situations and interact with them through his various emotions (such as joy, love, fear, sadness... etc.), and there is no doubt that suffering from pressures, whether psychological  , social or  economic, has a great impact on the life of the individual, and perhaps it is clear to the eye that contemporary life  is different from before, the increase in the pressures of life has become clear and clear due to the great development witnessed by the world, it is no longer the same as it was in the past in its simplicity and lack of requirements     ,  Everyone is exposed  to crises and problems, which are one of the reasons  that lead to  the emergence of depression and everyone is prone to develop it.  Depression is a serious illness in which a person suffers for long periods ofsadness and other negative feelings or disappointment and affects in a negative way the thinking and behavior.

It should be noted that depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the whole world  and this is confirmed by global research in this field  and depression  is defined as "a temporary or permanent emotional state in which the individual feels constriction, sadness and distress and in which feelings of concern and mystery are common, and this condition is accompanied by specific symptoms related to the moody, cognitive, behavioral and physical aspects.  Depression is described as a mood and not necessarily a pathological condition (pathological condition) and during times of life a person often feels waves of sadness, chest tightness and pessimism. Especially when faced with a  problem that is more difficult than endurance, or  when he loses a loved one or social status.  Scientists have tried since ancient times to understand depression while explaining the nature of man and the emotional disorders it suffers, the Canadian interpreted it as a psychological pain that one suffers due to the loss of loved ones and the loss of liabilities, and Razi considered it a mental illness that disturbs the mind and mind and harms the soul and body, which is in Ibn Hazm a state of distress that arises from many situations such as anger, isolation, humiliation and helplessness

The developed countries are making organized efforts to combat mental and mental disorders and congenital deviations because of their devastating effects that threaten humanity, and the consequent dangers of fragmentation in the support of the nation and its entity, and that the disorder of the mind means the disorder of human activity and chaos in all fields, and early detection of the disorder helps to heal it before it worsens and is impossible to treat, hence the importance of creating a generation of healthy young people the next fun on life,  An effective producer in his society, capable of achieving himself and solving his problems, these are all qualities necessary to strengthen the edificeof a civilized society.

From all of the above, it is clear that depression is one of the diseases prevalent in the world and it is not a weakness or something easy to get rid  of, as  it affects the way of thinking and acting and would cause many emotional and physical problems, and usually people who have depression can not continue to practice their daily lives as depression causes them to feel unwilling to practice a lot of daily life.  

Theundergraduate stage is one of the important stages of study at  the end of which the individual ends adolescence,  through his readiness to assume the responsibilities and duties of the independent adult. At the end of this stage, the individual must have formed his opinion almost definitively in several vital areas and settled on the type of task he will perform.

The danger of depression lies  in the fact that it is a  big problem, especially when the individual does not feel sick and needs to consult a doctor, he often suffers from depression but continues in his life and behaves in a negative way that pushes him to  think negative thoughts, causing him to isolate himself from people or to think about harming himself or those who are degraded by him. 

And here should highlight a very important topic for university students as it is a scientific  attempt to study the level of depression they have, especially since this study focuses on an age group on which hopes are held in the renaissance of society, and the problem of depression may be greater than what may come to mind, as it has to do with more serious and complex problems such as drugs or extremism and drift towards fanatical thought far from right and that they may be blamed for as an attempt to vent the excitement and pleasure lost,  For these reasons, depression has been the subject of continuous follow-up and study, and much has been written about it in different cultures and languages.

Through reviewing several sources and research conducted on university students, including students of Anbar University and in different  disciplines, it was found that there is  a certain  level of depression and this level is different from one college students to another, and the lowest percentage was among the students of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, due to the fact that the students of the Faculty of     Physical Education and Sports Sciences have actual participation in sports activities, which leads to the discharge of repressed inside the student because of the time spent practicing the activity.  Sports.

This is confirmed by Osama Rateb (1995) that  some scientists believe that the practice of physical activity and the development of physical fitness of the individual affect the improvement of self-concept and self-esteem and also help to get rid of some mental illnesses as a way to vent energy.

In  a study published in October  2013 in the  American Journal of Preventive Medicine,  George  Mammen of  the University of Toronto, Canada, proves that exercising in moderation prevents long-term depressive episodes. This study is the first of its kind because it focuses on the role that sport plays in maintaining mental health and preventing the onset of depression in advanced stages of life.  This study came at a time when doctors were looking for an alternative to antidepressant medications, and proved that exercise is the best alternative."  

A study by the Swiss University   of Bernreleased in September 2014 also confirmed  that exercise has the same effect as antidepressant drugs and sedatives on the depression itself. It turns out that exercise is an effective way to reduce the symptoms of depression, it serves as a supplement or even an alternative to medication in case of depression. In his study (2014),  Driss Ahmed points out that the practice of RayaDhia activities increases the chances of social interaction between students and thus reduces the sense of isolation of these students as well as the effect of exercise reviving self-confidence, self-esteem and a sense of control and competence.

Andin light of the above

1 - The need to urge students  to practice various sports activities continuously,  to reduce the  level of depression they have and prevent it, especially scientific colleges. 

2 - Work on thesupport provided to  the internal  departments  for the development of  university sports and ways to provoke students to engage in sports programs and various games.

3 - The need to pay attention to the mental health of students and counseling when feeling any symptoms that indicate  the occurrence of depression.