Odrade--- I don't know if you realise, but you hit upon an important point here. The despondent young men you mentioned were all college-age, in a college enviroment. [No, this is not leading into a JW anti-college rant.] These young men were all smack in the center of a 'transitional' phase, which all of our college years are, really.
It's the transition from young personhood/ family dependence to young adulthood/ independence, which is a scary and emotional rocky time for anyone, especially those who have few welll-established strong emotional, financial, educational supports to sustain them. [Which is almost the definition of college student.]
It's during this emotionally/ psychologically vulnerable time, when we tend to seek out those supports from whereever we can glean them, that CULTS can appear like a stronghold that will help ease transition, too. It's not just college age--it's any major life change/ transition that invites this vulnerability, for anyone. Having the solid supports already in place is what makes the hugest difference for people undergoing these transitions. That, an recognizing the transition phase for what it is...and being able to adjust their own responses within it accordingly.