Correction: The original article referred to a student with the last name “Davis.” This was a pseudonym — no student with the name “Davis” was interviewed for this article. All references of the student have been changed to “the female student” or a variation thereof to prevent confusion. The Pendulum regrets the error.
She began missing classes, sleeping through planned meetings and missing appointments during her sophomore year. The more assignments piled up, the more she avoided them and ended up spending that time in her bed, unable to bring herself to do anything.
“It was easy to focus on other things and rationalize that I would just have a ‘power weekend’ soon or accomplish a lot of accumulated late class work in a short period of time,” a female student who requesting anonymity to candidly discuss her mental illness said. “I was so overstressed that I started to ignore what was happening because I couldn’t deal with it.”
On the verge of failing, the senior realized she needed to get help and get into a better state of mind. Her primary care physician diagnosed her with a treatable anxiety disorder, which later developed into depression.
Now more aware of her situation, she knows she needs to ask for help, though it can still be hard at times.
“I think that the biggest obstacle was getting myself to accept help,” the female student said. “After I saw my doctor for my anxiety, I realized that I could tell people when I wasn’t doing well and they could show me how to make my situation better.”
Finding help on campus
As colleges across the country experience an increase in enrollment, the prevalence and severity of mental health issues in students and the number of students taking psychotropic medications have also increased.
An assessment by the American College Health Association found that more than 80 percent of college students felt overwhelmed by all they had to do in the past year and that 45 percent have felt things were hopeless. Additionally, more than 25 percent of college students have been diagnosed or treated by a professional for a mental health condition within the past year.
According to Bruce Nelson, director of counseling at Elon, many colleges are reporting a range of mental health issues on the rise, and Elon’s Counseling Services sees 10 to 15 percent of the student body each year, but he believes there are more students out there that could use their resources.
“There’s 85 percent of the school that we wouldn’t know,” he said. “I’m always open to feedback to what would help encourage students to come and make us known.”
Counseling Services provides brief, strength-based psychological support and crisis intervention to address the emotional, social and academic needs of Elon students. The service is located at the Ellington Center for Health and Wellness on South Campus.
Elon employs five counselors who are fully licensed and trained with experience specifically with college students. Nelson takes pride in the fact that the Counseling Services doesn’t have a waiting list or use interns so students can get immediate help.
“All first sessions are consultations, just to see can we help and if we are the right resource,” Nelson said. “We don’t abandon people. We work until there is a resolution.”
In every meeting Nelson has with students, he asks them what they want to get out of it. His main goal is to meet the needs of the students and get them to a point where they can function. Many students describe their feelings as “stressed” and “overwhelmed,” and the counselors try to find the root cause of these feelings.
The counselors also look to see if these students have a quality support group outside of Counseling Services. Without it, there is a cycle of loneliness, which makes it difficult to overcome issues.
Although her symptoms aren’t as severe now, the female student still takes advantage of these resources.
“Sophomore spring semester, I made my first appointment at counseling services and I’ve revisited sporadically since then,” she said. “I had a good experience with them overall and I always felt more collected and in control with my issues after I met with a counselor.”
Students can’t be forced to go to Counseling Services or receive help, but friends and faculty can make recommendations by talking to the student. When approaching a fellow student about concerns for his or her mental health, Nelson advises to not accuse the person, state his or her concerns and know what resources Elon has before offering them.
In addition to the Counseling Services, a substance abuse counselor and psychiatrist come in once a week as another resource for students, but with an out-of-pocket expense. The counselors also offer other quality, local resources for students to go to if they are uncomfortable attending sessions at Elon, but these resources don’t come free of charge either.
Getting beyond the stigmas
The stigmas surrounding mental health can make students fear seeking help — many do not want to be seen as “crazy” or “weak.”
On campus, there are groups making an effort to combat these kinds of harmful stereotypes. Active Minds, founded last Fall, seeks to raise awareness on mental illness and get rid of the associated stigmas.
“The first step in combating the stigma around mental health is starting a dialogue on campus,” said senior Rebecca Teague, co-president of Active Minds. “By putting the issue out there in the open we’re empowering others to speak out about mental health as well. It is so important to get the word out that mental health affects everyone, and it shouldn’t be stigmatized or scary to talk about.”
Teague developed bulimia her sophomore year of college. She kept her disorder a secret for two years, fearing how people would view her if they knew. Lying was her way of avoiding the issue and made telling someone not an option in her mind. But, when she finally opened up, she was able to acknowledge what was happening and make a change.
Now in recovery, she knows how important it is to talk honestly about struggles and to be open to treatment. Teague also knows that more awareness is necessary to pave the way for fewer judgments and open conversations.
“When people think of eating disorders, they think of people who are emaciated and have to be committed or their condition will kill them,” Teague said. “That is a huge stereotype, and eating disorders come in all different shapes and sizes and affect people differently. Opening up to people was the first step of my individual journey.”
Active Minds works to fulfill this education gap by hosting events and bringing speakers that spread awareness and promote positive practices. Although it’s a fairly new organization, Active Minds has already taken steps to benefit the community and will be hosting Elon’s first Mental Health Awareness Month this May.
According to Teague, college is one of the most stressful times in an individual’s life, and serious psychiatric issues normally present themselves by the age of 25 — which is why a group like Active Minds is important on campus.
“It’s a very large transition,” Nelson said. “Coming to a college campus for the most part brings on a lot of stressors. A lot of balances come into play. You’re freer in a sense and finding identity is big.”
Although Active Minds is not a support group and focuses more on advocacy and education, they do serve as a liaison between students and Counseling Services.
“Some people suffering with mental health issues may be hesitant to seek professional help, and it is important to not push too hard,” Teague said. “Be there for them, support them in their journey and encourage them to get the help that they need.”
Nelson notes it is not the easiest thing to talk to a stranger, and with support and awareness some of these stigmas will go away and students would feel more comfortable about talking about their issues.
“There’s enough stigma in the word ‘mental,’” Nelson said. “I like to focus on resiliency, strength and relationships. If we get into to a mindset that we are accessing their strengths rather than treating someone, we can destigmatize it.”
Since Counseling Services moved to South Campus from Moseley in 2013, Nelson said that some students feel more comfortable coming into the building because it is far away and fewer people are less likely to see them.
Ideally, Nelson would like a building where Counseling Services, the Health Center, Campus Recreation and student prevention programs are all under one roof, keeping mind, body and spirit together. He said this would add comfort for students going for counseling as no one would know why they are walking into the building, but this is not possible for Elon at this time.
Making resources known
Counseling Services is making an effort for students to know what they offer and how they can be reached.
According to Nelson, they are working toward broadening their relationships with different student groups so that they are known around campus. By educating different groups on mental health, students can help one another — an important step since students relate to one another better than they do to faculty.
“It’s linking with existing groups or viable groups to break down stigmas,” Nelson said.
Counseling Services is actively researching ways to encourage students to visit. Recently, Counseling Services partnered with the Truitt Center to create mindfulness groups, sessions in which 10-12 people talk about targeting stress and finding mindfulness. This is the second year the program has been implemented and about 80 students and faculty have been involved.
“No one wants to go to a self esteem group, but promoting mindfulness doesn’t have a pathological tone to it,” Nelson said.
He also believes that if a student has a positive experience at Counseling Services, it will filter out into the community through word of mouth.
Students can also use an online mental health screening tool to determine if they or a friend may need to reach out to a doctor or mental health professional for an evaluation. Each screening only takes a few minutes and provides valuable information about mental health to the student. It can be reached at www.screening.mentalhealthscreening.org/elon.
To make these services known, Nelson tries to get out of the office when he can, but knows it’s not always possible.
“I’d rather be here with a student than cruising around College Coffee,” Nelson said. “But I take every opportunity to build relationships with the community.”
In times of distress, Elon’s counselors make an extra effort to make students aware. For example, three counselors went to the gathering for Trent Stetler, the junior who committed suicide in January — not to ask students how they were doing, but to be a presence for students to know where resources lie.
For Nelson, if students know they are not alone and help is available, it can make a huge difference in their lives and in the community.
“I think that the hardest thing for people to accept is that they can’t handle all their problems alone,” the female student said. “I know that for me, it was difficult to realize that, although it was going on in my own head, I didn’t have the right perspective to deal with it. If more people accepted help with the issues they had to deal with then we would have a much happier and more balanced society.”