At the beginning of my freshman year, I was so ready to tackle my mental illnesses and finally focus on the good things in my life. I wasn’t prepared for what college would really do for my mental health. Rather than getting better, I got worse.
I had never been so afraid of my own mind. I was becoming so emotionally numb that sometimes faking happiness physically hurt. My weight was dropping, my body was drained, and I could barely make it to class.
It turns out, I’m not the only one who experiences this while in college. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 59-percent of current college students struggle with some type of mental illness, with depression and bipolar disorder being the top two illnesses college students face.
A study at Boston University shows a significant increase in students that needed urgent care for mental illness. During the 2010-2011 school year, only 290 students needed urgent evaluation for mental health issues. In 2015-2016, the number increased 123-percent with a total of 647 students needing urgent care.
Carrie Landa, the director of Behavioral Medicine, blames social media and helicopter parenting for the rise of mental health issues. She says that social media inhibits one’s ability to interact in person making it difficult for one to fit in socially and find friends. The mention of helicopter parenting surprised me but instantly I agreed that it is an issue. For those who don’t know, helicopter parenting is a parenting technique where parents either severely limit what their child can or cannot do or the parents do everything for their child. Landa claims that helicopter parenting prevents teenagers from figuring out their own problem-solving techniques so they become anxious or incredibly stressed out when they are faced with something challenging.
Unfortunately, 64-percent of students who have dropped out of college say that it was due to mental health. NAMI’s study shows that these drop-outs could have been prevented if students had acquired mental health support. When asked what could have helped the students stay in school, there were several responses. Something as simple as accommodations, such as a lower course load or tutoring, could have been the key to staying in school. Others say that accessing help and getting support could have been what helped them stay in school.
NAMI suggests that colleges can take several steps in preventing student dropouts. Some of those include not revoking financial aid because a student’s GPA is below satisfactory due to mental health, encouraging students to reach out before issues become worse, and making it easier for students to obtain help on campus.
Being a mentally ill college student, I agree with NAMI’s suggestions. I know that my GPA is currently not satisfactory and I’m constantly checking my FAFSA to see if there’s any updates on whether or not I will receive financial aid. Unfortunately, if I am without aid for this upcoming school year, I will have to resort to dropping out. I should not be punished because the chemicals in my brain are imbalanced, but that’s just how it is. If you, too, find this to be unfair, speak out. Let your voice be heard. Mentally ill or not, you have a right to voice your opinion on mental illness treatment at your school.
I could not end this without saying something directly to the readers. If you are struggling with mental illness, do not be afraid to reach out. And if you or somebody you know is suicidal or is having thoughts of harming oneself, contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-(800)-273-8255 or visit their website to chat online with a trained professional. As always, in an emergency, contact 911 to receive urgent help.
