According to the American Psychological Association, 52.7% of college students surveyed reported feeling as though “things were hopeless” and 39.1% reported feeling so depressed during the past 12 months that it was difficult to function.

According to Chadron State College’s website, more than 11% of college students have been diagnosed or treated for anxiety in the past year, 10% with depression and more than 80% of students have felt overwhelmed by all they’ve had to do.

40% of students with diagnosable mental health conditions did not seek help.

7% of college students have considered suicide during the past year.

These numbers continue to rise every year- and my biggest question is, why? Why are college students left to fend for themselves and without resources they need?

While there are some campuses in this country that need to step up their game in terms of mental health awareness, the biggest issue here is the stigma surrounding this topic. Students are scared or embarrassed to admit when they need help. They’re embarrassed to be seen walking into the counseling center and afraid of what people might say.

If you’ve ever judged someone for admitting that they need help then you need to take a long, hard look at yourself. I could not name a single one of my friends who has never been stressed or overwhelmed this past year. Honestly, I think those statistics above would be higher if people were totally truthful.

Students are so afraid to admit when they need help. Freshmen come to campus and are met with overjoyed upperclassmen, faculty, and staff who tell them how awesome their experience is going to be. They want to make the transition as easy as possible, but they make it harder by not giving students all the facts.

The truth is, you might not like your school. You might not make many friends. You might become overwhelmed with school work. You might not be able to sleep, eat, get through the day, etc. This is totally okay and totally normal yet students are so afraid to speak up.

They think they’re not supposed to feel anything other than excitement and they’re not supposed to be stressed out. If they feel that way then there must be something wrong with them.

Stop it. Stop believing the stigma. Get help.

If you don’t want to go your school’s counselors then find a friend, a professor, another grown-up, literally anyone you trust to hear you out. Don’t try to get through these messy (but again, totally normal!) feelings by yourself.

Maybe you need medication, maybe you need regular counseling, maybe all you need is a hug from your mom. But, you’ll never know what you need until you reach out for help.