Get informed about mental illness
Oct. 2-8 is Mental Illness Awareness Week

College students face overwhelming stress and anxiety during their college years. It is not uncommon to find students who struggle with mental illnesses. Yet, most college students lack even a basic understanding of these disorders.

In a study done last year, nearly half of college students reported receiving no education on mental health issues before starting college—from family, friends, teachers, counselors or clergy. This trend continued in college—about half of all college students reported receiving no information on mental health from their college or university.

Mental illnesses include such disorders as schizophrenia, disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic and other severe anxiety disorders, autism and pervasive developmental disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, borderline personality disorder, and other severe persistent mental illnesses that affect the brain.

These disorders can profoundly disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, moods, ability to relate to others, success in school or at work, and capacity for coping with the demands of life. Students with untreated mental illness may withdraw socially, drop out of school, or engage in substance abuse.

Mental illnesses are common illnesses which often begin in the late teens or early twenties, but they can affect persons of any age, race, religion or income. Mental illnesses are not the results of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. One in five students will experience a mental health problem during their college career.

Mental illnesses are treatable. Most students with serious mental illness need medication to help control symptoms, but also rely on supportive counseling, self-help groups, community services and classroom accommodations.

Depression is one of the most common forms of mental illness, which can range from mild to severe. After contemplating suicide, a Harvard student shared: “Depression allows nothing but a joyless, lifeless, pointless existence. What’s more, it convinces you that you deserve every minute of it. It is despair that intensifies over time. In the world, according to depression, you do not earn any of the positive things that happen in your life, and the negative events are your fault even before they happen. Your self-confidence slowly erodes and hope slips away.”

One in four college students reports having suicidal thoughts or feelings, and one in seven reports difficulty functioning due to mental illness. It is important to recognize serious depression and other mental health disorders and seek help.

To get more information on mental illness, or to find resources in your community, contact NAMI-Minnesota at 651-645-2948 or (toll free) 1-888-473-0237 or go to http://www.nami.org/namimn.

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