Hi. My name is Kayla Drake, and I am one of the 43.8 MILLION people in the United States that has a mental illness. And no, I am not crazy. Let's go ahead and get that out of the way so I can address what's actually important. While I am not generally involved in many of the political or civil topics that are discussed on a daily basis, I am VERY involved in ending the stigma surrounding mental illness. While I could go on for hours about how common mental illness is and why people seem to be so afraid of it, that's not on my agenda for today.

What is on my agenda is UNC's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and the way they treat mental illness. UNC is among several institutions that you would expect to handle sensitive issues in an appropriate manner, especially since the campus claims to be welcoming to diversity.

When incidents occur in the world that cause harm to certain religious and racial groups, UNC is quick to offer safe spaces and organized meetings for people to mourn together. With these measures being in place, you would expect UNC to handle mental illness in the same way by providing top-notch psychiatrists and therapists for students who struggle with mental illnesses. In this case, your guess would be wrong.

CAPS is failing to provide care to students in a manner that is appropriate. While I can speak about my experience with CAPS, I have also spoken with other students who have had similar problems that are simply unacceptable for such an esteemed university. Sit back and relax, it's story time.

Once upon a time, I was a first-year student at UNC that went to CAPS to receive help. I had been on medication for depression and anxiety, which could not be refilled until I spoke with a psychiatrist. I went into CAPS and had trouble finding where I needed to be (like many first-year students in the beginning of the school year), but when I asked for assistance, I was treated in a very rude manner. I remember being talked down to and treated as if I was dangerous.

The earliest appointment I could make was a month out, but when I was finally able to see a psychiatrist, I was put on a higher dose of medicine than I was used to. I ended up nearly passing out in the bottom of Lenoir and missing class for the rest of the day because I was dizzy.

I called my psychiatrist immediately and was told to keep taking the medicine and that I would be fine. I was too sick to argue. Long story made short, the medicine was too high of a dosage for me and my psychiatrist didn't adjust it for three months.

A friend of mine (who requested that I do not publish her name) had an instance with CAPS in which they did not obey their confidentiality agreement even though the manner was not life or death. A patient's comfort may be hinged on a confidentiality agreement and disclosing information to another patient is unacceptable.

The patient that the psychologist disclosed this information to happened to be the first patient's friend. Their friendship could have been affected by this disclosure of information, but thankfully it wasn't.

Last year, I heard a story from a student in one of my classes that patients were being referred to psychiatrists off-campus but were unable to get transportation to these places, making it virtually impossible for them to seek the assistance they need.

When I felt that an emotional support animal would help me handle my depression, I suggested it to my CAPS psychiatrist. In turn, she told me she would not prescribe one for me because it is against their policy.

I was under the impression that CAPS was supposed to be the equivalent to any off-campus psychiatrist, but I guess that didn't matter in my case. I transferred to a new psychiatrist and now I have a cat that has helped me immensely.

In summary, CAPS has a lot of explaining to do.

It is time for the student body of UNC that has experienced any mistreatment from CAPS to come together and call for change. CAPS is supposed to serve the students in an efficient manner, not make them feel as if they are below others that do not have mental illnesses.

We are entitled to receive quality care without special conditions and policies. It is unfortunate to see so many students go without proper treatment because CAPS has belittled them or referred them off-campus. It's been a long time coming, and CAPS needs to own up to their mistakes before more serious harm is done to students.