This past week, a student at Temple University committed suicide. I didn't know him personally, but from what I have heard, he was a well-rounded, engaged student and no one was aware that he was struggling so deeply.

This tragedy has shaken the whole Temple community and it's got people thinking about what this university has to offer in terms of mental health resources.

My own experience with Tuttleman Counseling Services has been far from fruitful. I went in seeking a long term therapist that I could see regularly throughout the semester, but they told me that the office was not equipped to provide me with that kind of treatment. They handed me a list of places I could look into and let me know that I could always come back if I needed anything urgently.

Tuttleman is an office that is primarily for short term, crisis-like situations. If something is happening in your personal life and you just want to talk through it with a professional, you could go there. If you are suffering from an intense bout of anxiety that is affecting your academic performance, you could go there.

They say the average number of sessions a student attends is six. But if you're like me, you know you have depression and anxiety and this isn't something that has started out of the blue. The best thing you could do for yourself is to consistently see a therapist.

I stopped going to therapy when I started college, and soon after, I could feel the difference. I had begun to rely on that bi-weekly session to get out my thoughts and talk through my emotions. I needed a professional to listen and help me map out healthy coining mechanisms.

I needed that regularly scheduled appointment, and Tuttleman couldn't give me that.

The top office on the list they gave me was Temple Psychological Services. The phone number was accompanied by a note: "six-month waiting list". So, apparently, if you need more therapy than six weeks' worth but you need to see someone sooner rather than six months later, you're shit out of luck.

The biggest problem with Temple's resources is availability. If you are dealing with something that needs more attention than a couple of therapy sessions, there's not much Temple can do for you. I looked into other places on the list they gave me, but I couldn't afford any of them, so I have been going without therapy.

I'm sure countless other students are in the same boat.

I know from personal experience that it's hard to go without therapy when you suffer from clinical depression, and that's when I am not suicidal or thinking of hurting myself. Imagine if you are. You could go for a few appointments at Tuttleman but then what? You're left to fend for yourself again.

Temple needs to put more thought into their mental health resources. A six-month waiting list means they don't have enough staff to accommodate the number of students that are seeking treatment and that needs to be dealt with.

This issue can't be ignored. Our mental health should be considered more important to the university that which we are paying tens of thousands of dollars.

Too many students are struggling silently and without easily accessed treatment options, they might feel like there's no other way out.