We have all heard that college is supposed to be the best four years of your life. Living in San Luis Obispo – the happiest city in America – how could that ~not~ be true?
Well, if you add anxiety, depression or any other mental illness into the mix, things get more difficult. Regardless of the city you live in or your age, mental illness can affect anyone. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five adults, age 18 and older, experience mental illness in a given year. That’s a lot of people–about 43.8 million.
Who mental illness affects
Although the statistics tell you you’re far from being alone, often times those affected by a mental illness couldn’t feel more isolated. According to activeminds.org, people are the least likely to seek help for their mental illness between the ages 18 and 24.
Why is this?
I think we all know college can have its difficulties. Moving out of your family home, possibly going far away to a school where you may not know a lot of people, having to actually take care of yourself for what could be the first time in your life, “adulting” – it’s not easy stuff.
All of that on top of classes, relationships, roommates, job hunting, trying to decide what you even want to do with your life – it’s no question that college is extremely stressful. That’s why now more than ever students are struggling with mental illness. In the past 30 years, the number of young adults that could be characterized as having a significant mental health problem has increased by as much as 25 percent, according to a professor of graduate psychology at James Madison University.
The bottom line: students are getting more stressed out and struggling with mental health issues. Cal Poly students are no exception.
Mental health and Cal Poly
After speaking to multiple students, many feel that Cal Poly does not have adequate resources for those struggling with mental illness, or rather, does not bring enough awareness to the resources that are present.
The main resources available to students wishing to seek help for mental illness are counselors at the health center and Pulse’s REAL team, a group of Cal Poly students trained to consult with their peers about various mental health issues.
When asked how Cal Poly handles mental illness, one student remarked that they were surprised they did not receive a packet or any information about Cal Poly’s counseling services while moving in freshman year. Another student believed that Cal Poly’s counseling services appear to focus on minor mental health issues, rather than more serious ones. Other students didn’t even know Pulse’s REAL team existed.
For some, the resources Cal Poly currently has are very helpful. Having the option to talk to either an adult or a peer can be comforting. However, an issue arises when not many students know that these resources actually exist.
Dealing with a mental illness on your own can be difficult and feel isolating, and choosing to seek help can be a challenging decision on its own. When resources become hard to find or are not easily accessible, the battle of fighting mental illness on campus becomes much more difficult.
Looking back at WOW Week freshmen year, it became almost ingrained in our brains the danger of alcohol and drug abuse. Presentations followed by videos followed by online exercises we had to complete – it was never-ending. The same occurred with sexual assault awareness. Obviously, these are extremely important issues that we need to concern ourselves with and the steps that were taken to increase awareness were completely necessary. However, why can’t we do the same with mental health awareness? It’s just as important of an issue, and goes hand-in-hand with everything else we were taught to be aware of.
How we can change
If Cal Poly’s counseling services simply put up flyers or held a booth in the UU every once in awhile advertising their services, it could make a big difference in encouraging an individual to seek help. Continually educating students about what mental illness is, providing them with tools to reduce stress and giving them confidence to seek help are all initiatives imperative to promoting a healthy student body.
Just recently, Cal Poly Pulse and ASI put on Buck The Stigma – Mental Health Awareness Week. This was a huge step in the right direction to erasing the stigma mental illness carries with it. However, we need more support like this from Cal Poly to ensure that students are aware of and know where to access resources that are available for them. As mental illness can be a very sensitive issue, the health center and Pulse must create a welcoming and safe environment that students feel they can go to for help dealing with their issues. Students need to be reminded on a daily basis that Cal Poly is here to help.
With more awareness and familiarity of the on-campus resources available to them, students can work to live a happier and healthier life, enjoying it they way they should.