Mental Health, College and Covid-19, Oh My!

Mental health plays a huge role in college life. Dealing with classes, assignments and socializing can all be affected by a student’s mental health. Mental illness is extremely common amongst college students and thankfully in the past few years, the stigmas around mental illness have been waning. The reality is that one in four college students have a mental illness that is diagnosable. Meaning yes, it is possible to be tested for mental illness and absolutely is not “just in your head.” According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, 40% of college students have issues with mental health but won’t seek treatment, 80% feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities and 50% experience anxiety that makes them suffer in school. 

Unfortunately, a lot of students (and people in general) push their issues with mental illness to the backburner and in college, it is easily understandable why students do this. It is hard to deal with mental health while trying to deal with assignments, classes and other activities. It is really important as students that you communicate the issues that you’re having to someone in the school. Contacting your advisor, professor, or counseling center can really help ease the pressure that is created by mental illness and school. A study conducted by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors concludes that depression is the number one reason why students drop out of college. Through personal experience, I have learned that professors and advisors can be a lot more understanding than you would think. I learned that when you reach out to a professor and explain your situation, they can become more understanding when it comes to issues like attendance or late work. Depression can cause serious issues with your sleep schedule, either sleeping too much or not sleeping at all which is something that can affect your attendance. Depression and anxiety can also cause you to feel overwhelmed and have trouble focusing and completing assignments. Alerting a school counselor, advisor or professor can be really beneficial when dealing with course load and issues with attendance. 

Anxiety is another huge issue that college students face. According to The Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S. Anxiety is a mental health issue that I personally experience. I was diagnosed with panic disorder and social anxiety disorder, and it is no fun. Unfortunately, like depression, anxiety can cause serious physical symptoms. Shortness of breath, chest pain, headaches, nausea and IBS are just a few of the physical symptoms of anxiety. There have been countless times throughout my life where I’ve had to excuse myself and go somewhere private because I was having an anxiety attack. When I started graduate school, I noticed a serious incline in my already high levels of anxiety. The good news is you are absolutely not alone. There are literally millions of people dealing with the same issues that you are. Reaching out to a friend, professor or advisor can help you create a network of people that can support you when you need it and possibly share the same experiences that you have. 

One curveball that all students are facing right now is the global Covid-19 pandemic. A lot of students have been displaced and forced to leave their dorms and move home and do school completely online. The global pandemic can cause anyone to feel stress, anxiety and depression. Mental health is even more important now than ever. Even though I struggle with social anxiety, I still really miss being social and seeing my professors and fellow students. People need human interaction and right now we’re living through a time where that is strongly discouraged. Thankfully, there are hundreds of sources that can help you deal with mental health during this crisis. There are a lot of online therapy options, but there are also a lot of articles about different ways to cope with anxiety like “The key to good mental health is the food you eat” by Quartz. The pandemic can also cause a lot of people to have anxiety about symptoms. The symptoms of Covid-19 seem to be expanding daily, and a lot of those symptoms can be the same as anxiety. Anxiety can actually cause you to have a fever (trust me I’ve checked multiple times) and new Covid-19 symptoms can be nausea, stomach pains and headaches. If you’re feeling anxious over these symptoms, give yourself time for your body to relax before you diagnose yourself with Covid-19. 

One issue that I feel very strongly about is the use of mental health medicine. You don’t need to see a psychiatrist or get evaluated to try mental health medicine. Calling your physician and scheduling an appointment can make a huge difference in taking the steps to start dealing with your mental health. You can definitely make a virtual appointment right now to talk about your mental health with your physician. Most likely they will ask you a series of questions to help narrow down your issues. With mental health medicine, it is hard to find the right fit, but it is worth it at the end of the day. I used to be so scared of medicine because of the stigmas that have been built up around it like “it will only make you worse” or “it will make you feel numb and senseless.” Finding the right medicine will truly help you feel better. Anxiety medicine is no different. I was also really nervous about taking anti-anxiety medicine but it has been extremely beneficial to me. Just remember that you are not alone in your experiences, mental health issues are very common amongst college students and you should not have to suffer because of them.

 

• anxiety
• college
• COVID-19
• kent
• Kent State
• ksu
• mental health
• online
• stress