College Students' Exposure to Mental Illness

Mental health among college students has been proven to be a relevant social issue that our society faces. There are certainly a few different institutions that play a large role within the development of this social issue. The first institution, and the primary institution at play with this issue, is the higher education system. In terms of mental health and having access to resources, college students haven’t always been as lucky as they are today. One study in 2007 explains the story of Junior at Syracuse University (Kravets, 3081). Anita Rutman had a history of mental health issues; she even found herself being admitted to a mental health hospital. One morning in February, she threw herself off of the eighth floor of Boland Hall and landed on a patio and fortunately lived. However, her attempt stemmed from the university sending her letter three days prior that informed Anita that the school was planning to dismiss her because of her suicidal tendencies (Kravets, 3081). Anita later sued Syracuse for ten million dollars for malpractice and negligence in handling her condition.

College is a time of extreme stress due to societal and parental pressures. College students have expectations they have to live up to in order to fulfill and satisfy the needs of both their parents and society. Stress is expressed through a variety of symptoms that can be hazardous to student’s physical and mental health. With such high expectations to do well during college, students may become sleep deprived, which impairs mental capacity, but sleep deprivation is only one of a vast array of symptoms. Stress is present in all aspects of life and there are multiple causes of stress, especially, during the college period which may present itself through many symptoms, but with stress, there are also various coping methods to help students

Another obstacle that threatens success is health and emotional issues present prior to attending school. Fogg (2009) reveals that graduate school has a reputation for triggering and amplifying depression and mental illness, especially in those already afflicted by mental health issues. Depression may prevent the individual from fully engaging in discussions, completing assignments or even reaching one’s full potential. Strategies to overcome these obstacles include complying with prescribed mental health medications, seeking support from the university’s free resource center, and focusing on self-care activities.

College is a new and exciting time in a student’s life. Students are finally able to live by their own rules, follow their passions, and discover who they are. College is the beginning of the end. An end to relying on your parents, an end to schooling, as well as an end to life as a child. Many students see college as a new world for them to explore. However, college can also cause extreme amounts of stress and depression. I know from personal experience, that the anxiety from the financial issues alone can be overwhelming. Students are required to pay for room and board, food, tuition, books and daily expenses such as gas, toothpaste, and school supplies. Though there are many programs and scholarships available for students, finances are usually very tight for three reasons.

This can lead to drinking and drug problems, exhaustion, weight gain or weight loss, and depression and anxiety. Studies show that there is a steady increase in college student depression each year. Such issues can cause a negative impact on students’ grades, as well as the school dismissal and drop-out

In this particular event I learned that mental illness is becoming a growing epidemic around the world on college campuses. The reason it is becoming a growing epidemic is because mental illness is considered an invisible disease, which means because a person can’t see that you’re sick it doesn’t mean that you aren’t sick. Atrocious crimes on college campuses have been attributed to mental illness, thus increasing the negative connotation associated with the condition. As a result, those who suffer from mental illness often feel they must remain silent during their struggle. I think it was really good for college students to hear that they are not alone in fighting mental illness and that it is ok to seek help. I really enjoyed listening

Thus, the college years have developed into a time for finding oneself. Alcohol and drug abuse provide a means to conceal feelings of insecurity that arise from the students uncertainty of themselves. Substance abuse acts as a stress reducer through the beginning stages of college.

College represents a form of higher learning. For many, it is also a time for personal growth as we transition into adulthood. This in itself is a stressful situation as one must make drastic adjustments to a new role, environment, and demands. Stress is a major contributor to the development of mental and emotional issues (Rodgers, L., Tennison, L. 2009). Research has been done to determine the impact of depression and anxiety on university students. It has been

Academic pressures influence the individual via writing assignments, textbook readings, and tests. Compared to high school, assignments now hold much more importance due to college being expensive, textbook readings are vital to understanding the course, and writing assignments are to be done scholarly. Social pressures include roommates, girlfriends/boyfriends, and depending on which college is attended, students may be introduced to drinking/drug using communities. Roommates may pose a problem to one’s lifestyle, girlfriends/boyfriends can also be problematic to one’s lifestyle if the relationship is demanding, and drinking/drugs have the potential to destroy college careers and life. Such a major shift in lifestyle has the possibility to negatively influence a student’s college career, especially an individual with Social Anxiety Disorder. The Social Anxiety Institute defines Social Anxiety Disorder as “the fear of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, embarrassment, humiliation, and depression.” This disorder is the third largest psychological disorder in the United States, affecting about 7% of the entire population (Richards 2015). Alcohol could possibly be used as a coping

In college, many stimuli and variables start to erupt into view as students learn to live independently, and respond to these events with their intuition. These variables represent biopsychosocial influences. A few biological influences, lack of exercise and sleep. Some psychological influences stand as stress or burning out mentally and emotionally from homework. In addition, trying to appease multiple peer groups, and family’s expectations represent socio-cultural influences that will affect me.

Moving into college is a major transition in a student’s life and it can bring about a lot of life stressors. Moving in and adjusting to the college lifestyle can be more difficult for some than others, but regardless there is a lot more freedom for students to make their own choices and do as they please. In some cases, students do not necessarily know what to do with this new freedom and can fall into a variety of habits that range from positive to negative such as studying, exercising, partying, or drug use. Research has supported that certain lifestyles, specifically drug use and stress, can have significant effects on how well one performs academically. For example, researchers found that stress had a negative effect on academic performance

College students are often overwhelmed with numerous assignments and all the stress that comes along with it, but when you add working 30+ hours a week into the mix, the burden can start to feel overwhelming. With the average yearly cost of college rising, more and more students are finding themselves having to work to pay for classes as well as everyday things such as books, food, and housing. The effects of balancing school and work can cause a huge impact on students’ academics as well as their mental health, resulting in some major

Alcohol has been a part of human society for millennia. It can be found in churches, gas stations, supermarkets, and nearly everywhere else. Drugs are becoming more ubiquitous as well, with the legalization of cannabis now active in some form in 25 states (Maciag “State”). However, no single place is more saturated with alcohol and drugs than the college campus. Despite the troves of research that have been done to give evidence that they are harmful, there is still an overwhelming voice against control of these substances. First-year students are hit the hardest by this influence, being freshly exposed to the freedom of moving away from parents. It is this freshness, combined with the vast availability and marketing of alcohol, that causes college freshmen to be extremely susceptible to its effects. Despite how drugs and alcohol are romanticized in the media and easily available to college students, these substances have a negative effect on sleep habits, attendance, grades, athletic performance, extracurricular participation, and ultimately academic retention, especially among first-year students. Furthermore, the causes and effects of substance use are closely and cyclically related to social pressures brought on by college and its surrounding culture, making a sort of vicious cycle of stress and substance use in many cases.

There are a multitude of elements that influence the onset of depression and depressed feelings. The daily stressors of college life are one contributing factor to depression in college students. Some of the other stressors include: conflict between work and family, relationship problems, financial concerns, and poor grades, lack of social support or networks, a sense of not belonging, having fewer friends, and experiencing loneliness (Lindsey 2009). The economy has had an impact on every party of our society, including education. Heavy student loans are just another burden on these kids who do not know what their future career will hold for them (Curetalk). These different responsibilities are just other factors that influence the emotional health of college students.

Students’ state of mental and emotional health will contribute to the way that stress manifests and presents itself, once he or she enters college. “The emerging categories related to sleep and health problems could be a manifestation of a general increasing level of stress and psychopathology” (Murphy and Archer 26). There are a great number of studies, both past and on going, of stress and college students which have mainly focused on academics, personal relationships, finance and family status. A more in depth look has revealed that students with emotional disorders or those of poor health are even more ill equipped to