Mental health is a scary topic and one that is difficult to talk about. Mental health includes all aspect of well-being including emotional, psychological and social. It's important to take care of your mental health at every stage of life but it gets harder in college.

According to Active Minds, a site dedicated to changing the conversation about mental health, "An estimated 26 percent of Americans ages 18 and older – or about 1 in 4 adults - live with a diagnosable mental health disorder." It is horrible to see statistics saying how college-aged adults are the least likely to seek help. Universities around the nation, and the country, have resources for students who need professional help.

Active Minds gives several terrifying statistics for college students.

Almost one-third of students have had trouble functioning because of depression

80%+ of college students have been overwhelmed by the number of things they had to do

1,100 college students die each year from suicide, making it the second leading cause of death among college students

"80-90% of college students who die by suicide were not receiving help from their college counseling centers"

College athletes have a hard time receiving mental help. According to a USA Today article, "destigmatizing mental health in collegiate athletics is the key."

One way to help college students fight mental health is to show that it is not rare, but common. Being affected by anxiety, depression, etc. does not make you weird or unusual. Everyone needs help sometimes. The best thing to do is reach out to somebody: family, a friend, a professor, a coach, or a professional. You are not alone.

Active Minds has a page full of resources, linked here! They have specific sections for multicultural resources, LGBTQ+ resources and post-trauma or natural disaster resources. But here are some of the ones I think could be the most helpful.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-273-8255

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): http://strengthofus.org/

ULifeline: http://www.ulifeline.org/