Nobody wants to talk about it. We feel awkward and confused when it’s brought into the conversation. Some of us are struggling to deal with it every day, and feel alone in the ordeal. I want you to know that you are far, far from being alone in this battle.
We’re put under quite a bit of pressure in college, a lot of times more than we can comfortably handle. We fight hard to fit in with everybody, to keep our grades up, to make our parents happy--it all gets overwhelming very easily. And what’s the point if at the end of the day we feel worse off, empty, as if we will never hit the marks we shoot for? I see a big problem with this. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reported that 25% of college students in the past year have been diagnosed or treated for a mental health condition. Think about that for a moment: one out of every four people you know in college is suffering from a mental illness. Your friends, classmates, everyone is going through it or is connected to somebody who is.
Last year, 11% of college students were diagnosed or treated for anxiety, while 10% were treated for depression. There’s a lot more happening in college than what meets the eye. The social environment we’re thrown into is very unforgiving, and only expects results from us. Last year at the University of Pennsylvania, a freshman track star named Madison Hollerman took her own life because she was struggling with the academic workload and lost her confidence. Judging from her popularity, beauty and intelligence, the last thing you would have guessed is her feeling unhappy. Mental illness can happen to anybody. As humans, we try our best to be independent, to not place our burdens upon others to deal with. We tend to let these emotions ball up and get out of control instead of opening to others and talking through them. You don’t have to go through this alone.
It’s ok to acknowledge you’re not ok. Nobody in college is completely, 100 percent happy. The stress you feel when managing 18 credits, a club leadership position, and a part-time job is very real. So many others are going through similar experiences, and while they feel that they can handle it on occasion, those times of dread and worry are not to be taken lightly. It’s been reported that 40% of students have felt more than an average amount of stress in college. As much as we would like to brush it off and tell ourselves that we’re just being whiny and wallowing in self-pity, you can only put off those feelings for so long.
In Greek Life, as we go through the same social schedule each weekend, some people reach the point where they stop looking forward to it. It becomes a vicious cycle of drinking with the same group of people at the same parties, and then taking a few days to nurse the hangovers before starting all over again the following weekend. You start to feel that sense of emptiness, as if you have been missing out on something all this time. And turning to excessive drinking and harder drugs isn't going to help you feel any more alive. This feeling of distance when you're supposed to be surrounded by all your friends happens to people, and if you feel like you can relate to this in any way, know that you’re not alone.
Sometimes society does much more harm than good to a student’s self image. Because we’re told we have to be perfect, we drift into a state of a despair when we don’t meet expectations. 31% of students have felt so depressed that they have found it difficult to function, and over 50% have experienced an overwhelming amount of anxiety that makes it very challenging for them to do well in school. These intense ups and downs that students undergo need to be addressed. We hide behind this facade as a defense mechanism for anyone who thinks that we can’t handle the pressure. This isn’t what college is about. I’ve learned through my experiences with anxiety and feelings of emptiness that the best way to cope is by opening up to other people. You’ll be surprised how much others can relate to you.
There are many students, though, who need more than just a friend to lend an ear to them. Penn State offers Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to students who would like to talk to a professional, and there are counselors available downtown as well. However, there are not nearly enough of these services to accommodate all the students who require professional help. I attended a panel event during the Mental Health Awareness Week where a couple of CAPS employees were able to answer questions about their inability to take on more students. The reason is because the university will not put forth more money towards hiring more counselors. Now, I’m not a university official, but I would hope that the mental well-being of our student body would be one of Penn State’s top priorities. With the prevalence of mental illness in young adults rising every year, we need to take advanced measures to help those in need. Whoever you are, wherever you go, you are not alone in this battle.
It’s ok to feel out of place, because so many of us are, but are too afraid to say it. Just know that you matter in this world, and there are plenty of people out there who are willing to help you understand that. Everyone deserves a life of happiness.
