When I was about 9 years old I suffered my first panic attack. It was the first day of third grade. For some reason, I was having a difficult time adjusting to the idea of not being in class with anyone I knew, and as a very shy young girl, it happened. I was standing outside in our “lineup” order and out of nowhere felt like I was going to die. It is a difficult thing to explain to people who don’t understand, but if I can simplify it at all, it's exactly that: You feel like you’re going to die.
It was the first of probably a million more attacks that happened to plague me for many, many years. I went to several different therapists over the years, including a hypnotherapist, all to very little avail, to try and remedy the anxiety attacks.
Almost everyone I saw immediately recommended medication, something I was violently opposed to. As a 14 and 15-year-old, that was a concept that absolutely terrified me. I considered myself a well-read enough individual to be wary of the zombie-like condition often associated with medication prescribed for mental issues.
It wasn’t until I was 18, the summer before going off to USC, that I realized I needed to make a change. The suffering was something I never understood fully until it stopped until I discussed a million different medication options with my doctor and finally decided on one that I could feel comfortable with.
Amazingly, it was almost the next day that I noticed a difference in myself. I woke up naturally happier, with no darkness imposing on my mind.
It was a huge priority for me before going off to college to be truly healthy, in body and mind. It was a huge relief to be able to go off to school knowing I was OK, that I finally had a grip on my life and my health.
The problem was, I’ve met so many people in college who haven’t been as lucky as me. Unfortunately, the stigmas associated with mental health run absolutely rampant throughout a college environment.
Too many people are uneducated about the importance and truth of mental health issues. Universities also seem to be lacking in the literature, information, and resources for students suffering through mental issues. The rest of the population is also lacking in information on how to deal with, help, and be empathetic to those suffering in order to aid the recovery of the others.
There should be no fear, resistance, or negative connotations around mental health issues in order to help stop the perpetuation of suicide, ill mental health, and a lack of common empathy for people who are suffering. We need to change the general attitude towards those suffering from mental heath issues by educating, encouraging, and responding to the stigmas associated.