Most of us are guilty of walking the paths of campus with our face in our phones, rushing past students to avoid being late to class…again. You may pass a student on crutches and can see they are injured, but you may not as easily pass a student and notice that they are struggling with mental health. Why is this?
Because mental illness doesn’t always have obvious physical signs, so it is not as easily noticeable to peers. Just because you can’t outwardly see that someone struggles with mental health, doesn’t mean that this is not a very prevalent issue on college campuses, TCNJ alike.
So many students suffer from mental disease such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, addiction and more. If you are someone who does, do not ever think that this disease needs to define you or inhibit your college experience. Mental illness can make it so much more difficult to get involved on campus or make friends, but there are many ways you can help yourself.
TCNJ offers students various resources to help them better manage their mental health so that they can make amazing college memories just like every other student. Below is a list of some of these resources that we highly recommend that you, or someone you may know who battles mental illness, check them out, as it can make the world of a difference for your college experience.
- Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) located in Eickhoff Hall Room 107 provides short-term, confidential counseling for individuals and groups battling a mental illness or even students who are simply feeling homesick, as well as workshops to bring together students who are dealing with the same issues.
- TCNJ Clinic located in Forcina Hall Room 124 offers more long-term individual, couples, and family therapy to both students and the local community.
- Collegiate Recovery Program located in Forcina Hall Room 308 offers counseling for alcohol and drug addiction, and also provides those practices sobriety additional resources such as Lion’s House to make recovery easier.
Unfortunately society has developed such a stigma around mental illness, making some people reluctant to reach out for the help they may need. We’re here to promise you that dealing with a mental illness, like depression, for example, is no different than dealing with a physical illness, such as asthma. There is nothing wrong with you, you are not weird, and you deserve to have an amazing four years in college. If you struggle with mental health, reach out for the help that you deserve.