Ailey O’Toole
   Staff Writer

I’m sure almost all of you reading this know someone who struggles with anxiety or depression, maybe even suicidal thoughts or attempts. This is because mental illness is quickly on the rise among college students.

In 2013, a survey of college students found that 57 percent of women and 40 percent of men reported experiencing “overwhelming anxiety” in the previous year, and 33 percent of women and 27 percent of men reported in the last year feeling so depressed that it was difficult or impossible to function. Studies show that approximately one-third of college students meet criteria for an anxiety or depressive illness, and 50 percent of students admit feeling so anxious that they could not keep up with their school responsibilities.

Consider that one study found that the average high school student in the year 2005 has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient did in the 1950s, and those rates have only increased in the last decade.

According to the American College Health Association (ACHA), the suicide rate among young adults ages 15-24 has tripled since the 1950s and suicide is currently the second cause of death among college students. Aside from mood disorders, approximately 11 percent of college students meet criteria for some form of learning disability, and a 2006 survey by the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) found that nearly 20 percent of the more than 1,000 college students surveyed – both male and female – said they had or previously had eating disorders.

The American College Health Association collects data about mental and emotional health from college students every semester. Significant findings from the most recently published data, based on over 94,000 students, show that 67 percent of women and 55 percent of men reported feeling hopeless at times over the last school year, that 47 percent of women and 38 percent of men reported feeling so depressed on at least one occasion that they could not function, and that 10 percent of women and 8 percent of men seriously considered suicide. Stress was cited as the single greatest impediment to academic progress by both genders, with depression and anxiety also ranked among the top 10 academic impediments.

Dr. Richard Kadison, chief of mental health at Harvard University Health Services, suggested the current mental health crisis among young adults has been influenced by the massive academic disruption that accompanies the transition to college and an excessive focus on grades. This includes the extreme academic expectations set by college professors.

For most students, the academic expectations in college are much greater than those set by teachers in high school.

Consequently, many students who were used to getting perfect grades in high school experience significant depression and anxiety when they aren’t seeing the same results in college classes.

Clearly, there is a problem here, one that is being massively overlooked. Mental illness has become a juggling act for college students, where instead of seeking treatment, they try to figure out how to push it under the rug and deal with things they deem more important, like school and work.

Now, imagine there is a college student who is suffering from a prolonged physical illness, like cancer. How do you think professors treat that student? They are probably incredibly accommodating, allowing her to miss many assignments and classes, and for good reason, right? She’s clearly very sick and has trouble attending class and completing assignments.

Then, imagine another student who is in that same class. This student has crippling anxiety that makes it hard to leave her house, causes her to throw up when under pressure, and leaves her constantly scared. She starts missing class because her mental illness is exhausting and she starts missing assignments because she’s so busy fighting her anxiety that some of her responsibilities start slipping through the cracks.

Which student has a better excuse for struggling in school? Trick question – both reasons are valid. Just because you can’t see anxiety doesn’t make it easier deal with.          

So why do professors treat students with mental illness differently than students with physical illness? Why is it more acceptable for students with physical illnesses to miss class than it is students with mental illness, when both are debilitating?

Today’s students are being taught that suffering from a mental illness isn’t as bad as, or doesn’t matter as much as suffering from a physical illness; and, on top of that, that mentally ill students are told they should just “exercise more” and “eat better” and “get over” their disability. People expect mentally ill students to be able to juggle school, a job (sometimes multiple jobs or an internship), and their disorders, when physically ill students are much more catered to and helped.             

Mental health is more important than being successful in school, the same way physical health is more important than good grades. I would encourage students who struggle with depression to miss class and do something that alleviates their symptoms, such as going to a museum or taking a nap or visiting parents. I believe that students will be more successful in the long run if they take care of their mental illness first, and school second.

I know that’s a hard concept to wrap your mind around considering our generation has been taught the exact opposite throughout all of middle and high school, but it is the necessary course of action.

Health comes before school, whether it’s physical or mental. So next time you have a panic attack and think about going to class, you should instead take the day off and go to the bookstore, or at least do something to ease your mind so that you can to the next class and be more successful.

Put simply, if you struggle with a mental illness, you should first take care of yourself.