From today’s Wall Street Journal:
About 14.3% of college students were diagnosed with or treated for anxiety problems during the past year, and 12% were diagnosed with or treated for depression, according to a spring 2014 survey of 79,266 college students by the American College Health Association. That is up from 10.4% for anxiety and 10.2% for depression in the fall 2008 survey. Anxiety and depression are the most common disorders, according to the survey.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/more-help-for-college-men-with-depression-and-anxiety-1442852705
If you do the math and consider that LC has about 2,200 undergraduate students, depression and anxiety are a serious issue on this, and every other, college campus. You also have to count faculty and staff who struggle. Here at LC, where there is a lot of safe space, I think we try to remove the stigma of asking for help. But in reality most of us do not realize when someone near us is suffering. So what keeps people from asking for help? Some say seeking help is a sign of weakness. Some say counseling is a waste of time. Some don’t know where to go. Some say they don’t know what to say. Some feel that even a friend or therapist or pastor or RA or professor will judge them if they speak up. I know it isn’t enough to say just don’t feel that way but let me give you a few thing to consider. Self-Care is not weak; in fact it takes a life-time of practice. If you don’t know what to say just say I need help and trust another to lead you. If anyone even gives a hint of judgmentalism move on to someone else who is helpful.
There is a quote about depression that I have seen in various places:
Having anxiety and depression is like being scared and tired at the same time. It’s the feat of failure but no urge to be productive. It’s wanting friends but hate socializing. It’s wanting to be alone but not wanting to be lonely. It’s caring about everything then caring about nothing. It’s feeling everything at once then feeling paralyzingly numb.
If this sounds like the way you feel, or if you worry about everything to the point that it affects your life, please ask for help. If this sounds like someone you know, please be gentle with them, be supportive and let someone know. On our campus, the Dean of Students’ Office handles mental health emergencies, so if it’s urgent call them or Security. Anyone can walk into the Counseling Center or take another in. If you go to the counseling center you don’t even have to ask out loud, but simply fill out the small form and you will be met by a smile. At Spiritual Life we aren’t trained counselors but are really good listeners and can help you take first steps.
And please say a prayer for our community and for the hundreds on this campus who are struggling with and living with mental illness.
Blessings, Stephanie