Mental Health: Awareness in the Month of May

Fifty percent of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental condition sometime in their life, according to mentalhealthamerica.net.

In 2013, President Obama proclaimed May as National Mental Health Awareness Month, bringing the issue of mental health to the forefront of our communities. 

"It's important, I think, to be willing to say in our country that our mental health system isn't broken, it doesn't exist," said Mark Weiss, counselor at Linn-Benton Community College.

It may be easy to brush off mental health as "those with a disease," but the fact is, mental health is a condition we all have - some are just healthier than others.

For 20 million college students in the United States, mental health comes in the form of a good social life, positive relationships, low stress, and ability to cope. For many, balancing the stress of growing up, moving out, going to school, and getting a job can be too much to handle. And, they don't always know where to find resources to help.

In the same year that Obama declared mental health an epidemic, LBCC conducted a mental health survey of 235 students. The survey asked specific questions pertaining to anxiety, exhaustion, loneliness, depression and suicide. 

"Although some of the numbers are quite high, they aren't unusual. They are just about the same as national average," said Weiss. "Some of this is shocking, but none of it is unusual, which is possibly the most shocking of all."

In the survey - a National College Health Assessment conducted by American College Health Association - 54 percent of students reported feeling overwhelming anxiety that, at times, prevented them from coming to school. Forty-three percent said they, at one point, felt that things were hopeless, and 11 percent had seriously contemplated suicide.

"The typical college student is someone that has very high anxiety and depression that leads to some behavioral problems," said Weiss. 

The issue surrounding mental health is that if it goes unattended, it often escalates into a disorder that will affect many facets of one's life. For many, a typical response heard growing up is "you'll get over it in time." According to Weiss, this is a dangerous remedy for dealing with your problems.

"Without some help people don't typically ‘just get over it.'"

LBCC has six counselors that try to inform students that stress can cause a snowball effect, melting down their mental well-being. In a series of workshops held on the Albany campus this month, guest speakers were asked to present solutions to life's stressors and how to spin them into a positive experience.

"College in itself is stressful, and can be related to the number of changes in a person's life," said Weiss. "For many people they've never had a job as stressful as being a student."

In the first workshop, on May 15, Stan Mazur-Hart, Ph.D., a psychology professor, presented subjective well-being and what makes people happy. The second workshop, on May 18, featured former LBCC counselor Lynn Bain, who spoke about her experience as a survivor of suicide. She lost her son to suicide and has channeled her pain into a national tour called "When Life Hurts."

The final discussion will be with Greg Jones, Ph.D., a retired psychology instructor from LBCC and founder of the Active Minds club on campus. On May 29, at noon in the Fireside Room, Jones will discuss the three pillars of positive psychology: confession, forgiveness and affirmation.

For most college students, they will encounter a variety of issues that will affect their happiness. Lack of money, car problems, dating struggles, pressures from family, and social stigmas to name a few. Weiss encourages students to reach out to someone when they feel the weight of the world closing in on their shoulders.

"There are plenty of people at LB that don't know where the counseling center is, even though it's at the end of Takena Hall. If they need someone to talk to they can stop in and within a few minutes have someone qualified to help them."