Mental Health on Campus It’s not breaking news that college students struggle with keeping their mental health well on campus. Dealing with major stressors like class load, working a job, finances, making important career decisions, and being away from home can put anyone’s mental health through the ringer. It’s important to address the issues of mental health to all college students in hopes to raise awareness and keep them healthy. Mental health education needs to become a requirement on campuses throughout our country and should be taken seriously by college faculty and students. Larger strides need to be taken in order to reduce the stigma that is behind mental health issues, and I believe these strides can begin with America’s college …show more content…
An alarming fact provided by the article “Mental Health & Stigma” reports that in a recent survey that was conducted in UK, over 1,700 adults were asked what they believed about mental health issues. Many of these adults felt that people with mental health were dangerous, self-inflicted, and that ultimately people with mental health problems were difficult to talk to. These views are thought to come from previous beliefs that people with mental health illnesses are often violent or unpredictable. Hearing misunderstood common beliefs like these are the number one reason that many students do not seek help when it comes to their mental health (National Alliance on Health Issues 1). Unfortunately, it was also stated in the same article that people who participated in this survey felt this way regardless of their age, knowledge of mental health, and whether or not they knew someone with a mental health problem (National Alliance on Health Issues 1). The stigma of behind mental health should not be taken lightly, as it can potentially scare away any college students from ever seeking help with their mental …show more content…
First off, students who meet with their counselors would have someone on campus to make them feel accountable. Even if a student is showing no signs of having a mental health problem it can be very beneficial for students to have a relationship with a faculty member on campus. The second benefit, is one that the whole student body can share, the elimination of the mental health stigma. Every student would be required to meet with a counselor, therefore when a student goes for their meeting it would be considered a normal thing. Ultimately, eliminating the possibility of a friend questioning why their friend is going to see a counselor. The final benefit that a student could gain from meeting with a counselor is the chance to make appointments for upcoming years. Students will feel comfortable enough to be able to utilize the counseling services throughout the rest of their college career. All in all, this will be helpful to students who may begin to feel that they are having issues with their mental