Editorial
By Jaime Bratton
Reporter
To better assist students with the needs they face in education, Crowder should create clubs and societies to address the issues of mental health. Students with a mental illness drop out of school at a higher rate than their college counterparts. This is not entirely due to their struggle with the illness itself; sometimes the stigmatism that surrounds their diagnosis inhibits their pursuit of higher education, according to Marjori Baldwin in A Diagnosis of Mental Illness Need Not End A College Career (Mar. 19, 2018). Trying to fight these stigmas and familiarize the public with mental illness through social events and groups is a crucial step in reducing the rates drop-outs among students who have a mental illness.
With COVID-19, there are even more stressors on students whose mental health issues were already on the incline as said in Universities’ Response to Supporting Mental Health of College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic by Rachel Conrad, MD, Harika Rayala, Meera Menon, MD, and Kruti Vora. The article addressed how students, due to the COVID-19, were put under immense mental strain while being cut off from on-campus psychiatric support. This kind of situation can not be helped, but maybe we can create a program that could help students going through this in the future.
Students suffering from mental illness during this difficult period are even more susceptible to this chaotic time and its negative effects. While campuses have done their best to limit the damage the pandemic has caused, students are still caught in its tumult. A support network could assist students and keep them connected to others going through something similar. This could ground them and help keep them from harmful self-isolation that occurs even without a pandemic to spur it on. Often, those suffering from mental illness will isolate themselves because of not only the diagnosis itself but the ideologies that surround it.
A mental illness diagnosis is attached to negative stereotypes and labels and trying to fight back against those outdated views can often prove a greater challenge than the actual illness. Mental illness, until recently, was a taboo subject that our society was ashamed to admit the existence of. As we’ve come to realize the importance of being able to recognize a problem in order to address it, our society has grown in their acceptance of what was previously thought of as an impediment. Still yet, the daily struggle a mental illness diagnosis brings is very real and can be seen even on a small community campus such as Crowder.
Also, people with mental illness may have trouble socializing because of the fear that they will be judged. Without a support system, even those without mental illness struggle. Imagine dealing with the symptoms of mental illness alone, without others to help through the difficult times, and add on the pressures of school and work to that.
“It would help because it will give [students] support,” says Angel Martinez, a Crowder student in her second semester majoring in nursing. “They can go there if they need help. It [would] also be great if there were resources available for different forms of mental illness.”
“If students are made aware of services available to them, they are more apt to use those services. I know from experience that if counselors are on campus free of charge to students, students will utilize those services,” Jimmy Walker, a sociology and psychology professor here at Crowder, has seen the effects of mental illness in students firsthand. He believes that a club or society would help students on campus.
Bringing attention to mental illness could also negatively affect students by ‘outing’ them to be judged. Hiding a diagnosis is second nature to most people, so a group designed around informing people of mental illness could cause controversy. No group or society has the right to an individual’s personal information. An ideal group would be centered around activities and goals to inform and support each other and each other’s mental wellness without invading their privacy. A proactive society designed to help its members and create a safe space.
But we already have counselors here at Crowder? Crowder does have counselors, yes, but can students meet outside of a counseling session with them? Can students have a picnic, or a group meeting with them? Students can’t depend on counselors for every need, they can’t depend on a club or society for everything either. But a club or society does open the opportunity for students to make those primary group relationships while giving them the purpose of a secondary group.
This club could be formed around a support group model or something new and innovative. Or even both, there is nothing set in stone about the model of the program, only the desired results.
More clubs and societies that brought attention to mental illness and helped habituate students to it would help re-socialize the newer generation and change its views on mental illness. Changing how our society views mental illness should start by familiarizing others on the spectrum of mental illness in a comfortable, encouraging environment that welcomes those with and without a mental illness.
Part of changing people’s perspectives and starting a change to improve the percentage of students with a mental illness who graduate is creating a gathering of people who may have otherwise never met to acclimatize them with each other.
Crowder would benefit from these kinds of programs; it’s a smaller campus with a more personal atmosphere. This is the perfect ground to begin to cultivate these ideals and help Crowder students create meaningful relationships while helping support each other. Mental illness shouldn’t be forefront in our minds at all times, but we should be aware of it.
Being aware and informed means being prepared and ready to adapt to situations that do arise not only in the workplace, but at home as well. And that is why I think Crowder would benefit from more clubs and societies made to inform and support not only students who struggle with a diagnosis, but the student populace as a whole.
Crowder Cares, a program here at Crowder, is here to assist students as well. Students or faculty can report an individual they believe to be in distress and Crowder Cares will try and assist that individual as best they can. They also provide a resource list on the Crowder website of the services they have to offer, which include anonymous hot or text lines.
It is important to realize that using these resources will in no way affect an individual’s student aid or finances. Crowder Cares is there to help students and students should not feel leary or embarrassed to use this resource.
Speaking up about mental illness and taking proactive steps toward a more tolerant society in a safe, non-judgmental environment would help everyone on campus, not just the students.
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