In his theory of college student development, Arthur Chickering theorized there are 7 areas of development that students must pass through in college (which he called vectors), and that some students arrive to campus in the beginning phases of development while others have already developed a strong self-image. By moving through these 7 vectors, students would move toward solidifying their identity. In earlier posts, we ways that college students and their parents could work to Develop Competence.
The second vector, Managing Emotions, presents a variety of interesting issues to work around, in part because of social taboos that surround mental health in our society. Yet, college is a stressful time, involving many changes in routines and circumstances, and it’s entirely reasonable for anyone to have trouble adjusting to such a drastically different environment than home. The transition, for many, also involves losing at least some elements of their support system, as they leave the family home, see their circle of friends go in different directions, and adapt to learning new life skills
As a residence life professional, I have assisted many students in working through emotional or psychological issues. Some of these issues are pretty low on the scale, and involve things like homesickness, feeling stressed about school, or difficulty dealing with relationships and/or breakups. Others are more in-depth, like depression, thoughts of suicide, extreme anxiety, and even delusions or breaks with reality. Issues in the latter group usually result in a referral to the counseling center, or in extreme circumstances, the intervention of Residence Life staff, campus police and the county’s mobile crisis unit to evaluate a student’s psychological state and determine if an involuntary commitment to the local mental health ward is necessary.
With modern advances in pharmaceuticals, and an increased public awareness of mental health issues, more students who might not have been able to come to college are finding their way to campus. If this is the case, it’s especially important to have regular follow-up with a doctor and therapist, and to take medications as directed. This may seem common sense, but the stigma that some students perceive around mental illness sometimes keeps them from taking their medicine, and in some cases this can be very problematic.
A great resource for students, parents and higher education professionals is the Jed Foundation. Founded in 2000 by Donna and Phil Satow after they lost their son Jed to suicide, this organization has evolved to be the leading nonprofit organization addressing issues related to mental health and suicide in the college population.
The Jed Foundation was created to fill the need for programming and resources to help colleges, students and parents recognize and address the signs of emotional distress and suicide. The organization’s first program, ULifeline, launched in 2000 and has become a widely used online resource for college mental health with campus-specific information for over 1,250 schools. The foundation also produces videos on college mental health issues that run on MTVu and a related website, HalfofUs.com. Click on their logo to go to their video page.
HalfofUs.com
I’ve assembled some quick facts from these sites to get you thinking about student mental health on campus. They provide a good starting point for discussing these difficult issues.
- Mental health issues can affect people of any age, but often first appear between the ages of 18 and 24. If unaddressed, these illnesses can lead to distress, dangerous behaviors like substance abuse and thoughts of suicide.
- In a recent survey, nearly 50% of college students repored feeling so stressed during the previous semester that they had trouble functioning.
- One in Ten college students has considered suicide .
While these are stark realities, it is also true that students have many more resources available to deal with these challenges, from their RA all the way up to the president of the university. As advocates, supporters and members of the campus community, we have to all do our part to remove stigmas around dealing with mental health issues and to support those experiencing difficulties. If you are at a loss as to how to get started, visit the Jed Foundation for tips and ideas.
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