By SIMON BARNETT
The state of mental health on this campus is cryptic at best and a complete mystery at worst. However it’s no secret that institutions like ours attract the most high achieving students who are very likely to put intense pressure on themselves to be the best. Ever since I first walked on the University’s storied brick pathways, I knew this to be true. Orientation week is packed to the brim with seminars on the dangers of binge drinking and the importance of getting adequate time to socialize with friends. While information like this is supremely important to any incoming college students, the emphasis of these seminars could be misplaced. Instead of focusing on the symptoms of a larger problem there should be efforts made to highlight the main source of various issues on campus: the mental health of the students.
Before coming to college, I was part of the problem. A severe lack of education concerning the spectrum of mental health issues allowed me to misconstrue them as something that a person could simply ‘snap out of’ or ‘shake off.’ I had no frame of reference. For instance if a friend missed a week of class because they had pneumonia I would tell them to remain in bed and allow themselves time to heal. However if the same friend missed class because they were feeling depressed there was a time when I would say they had no real reason to skip. I’m happy to say that I no longer think this way. After being diagnosed with the Panic Disorder that wrecked havoc on my mental fortitude during my second semester, I realized the depth of this issue on campus. There is so much that could be done differently.
During orientation week students should learn about the mental and physical symptoms of a myriad of maladies like depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. They should be told that having or developing an issue like this doesn’t make them ‘weak’ or ‘disabled.’ I realize a pervasive reason that students fail to seek treatment is the fear that their peers will see them differently. Having a mental disorder should not damage your ego but rather empower you to have the courage to seek assistance. Moreover information about the options for getting help should be disseminated early on and often. Our campus has amazing resources for those who wish to confidentially assess their mental condition. It’s possible that a simple tonal shift that begins with the administration could snowball into more students seeking help instead of taking out their frustrations with drug abuse or binge drinking. Personally, after accepting that I had an issue, I no longer desired to suppress it with unruly behavior. I know the same is true for several close friends.
Changing an entire social atmosphere, washing away stigmas on mental health and making options for treatment more readily known... These are not easy or quick tasks. However, with a slight restructuring of the way these ideas are presented as well as the times at which they are shared, there could be appreciable effects. Really what do we have to lose?
Simon Barnett is a sophomore Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering major from San Antonio, Texas .
