You do not have to be alone

Mental illness is one of the most discredited illnesses, especially from the part of the world where I come from. If you have taken the time to read my “about me”, you’ll see that I have mentioned going through depression and when I told people I was depressed, they looked at me in the eyes and said: “it’s just a phase”. Honey, I have news for you,  there’s no such thing as a “phase” when dealing with mental disorders. A phase is when toddlers roll on the floor and cry in the store or infants sucking a pacifier because they eventually grow out of it. I told one friend that actually listened and told me to go see the school’s success navigators. I didn’t go to them but I did find help. However, there are many students who don’t have access to the resources I had.

According to the national alliance on mental illnesses,” approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year. Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S.—9.8million, or 4.0%—experiences a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.” It was also recorded by the national institute of mental health that approximately 45% of this people receive no treatment and 8 million people die from mental illnesses every year. Now with all that being said, your education, what people think about you, and whatever is hindering you from getting help are all important but not as important as your health.

Depression is the one illness I care the most about because it is the easiest to hide and from personal experience, can be very difficult to bear. However, that is just one of many that people suffer from. ADHD, Mania, Autism, PTSD, Anxiety, and Panic disorders are fairly common, but one thing that’s also common is stress too. Now stress is not a mental disorder, however, it is a driving force of depression and that it is why it is common among students. As a student myself, I have my own fair share of stress and it contributed to my illness. Before I continue, I would like to reiterate that depression is not a phase and should not be self-diagnosed because you took one psychology class or because of a significant amount of college student suffering from depression. If you think you are depressed, or feel like you are suffering from any mental disorder, please consider seeing a medical professional. That is where CCBC’s success navigators come to play. They help students find ways to solve issues that might hinder their education, and they probably have a solution waiting for you. They might not be able to help you first hand but don’t be discouraged because they do have referrals. Some of the referrals they help students secure are; Clinical counseling, Emergency housing information, food insurance, state and federal benefits, utility assistance, transportation, and legal resources. CCBC is not a charity home but what’s a school without its students. They try their possible best to secure temporary help for students. I would go into details but since this is a mental health post, I’ll stay on track. Check back next week for a piece on what they do but if you need help urgently, their information will be at the end of this post.

It is perfectly fine to be ill, the only problem is when you try to hide it because it does not just go away rather, it builds up and eventually escalates. That weird kid is not just weird, so instead of laughing and talking bull about people, try talking to them. You don’t have to be a psychiatrist, you can be that one person that changes a person’s life by saying the littlest things like “everything will be all right.” You can even refer them to this post. You never know what a person is truly going through so please be nice to one another. This world has enough evil as is.

You do not have to go through this alone. Get Help:

Be a brother’s keeper. if you witness a situation that you feel might need intervention, contact public safety at X1111 as soon as possible. better safe than sorry.

Sources

https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-Numbers

http://www.ccbcmd.edu/About-CCBC/Administrative-Offices/Enrollment-and-Student-Services/College-Life/College-and-Community-Outreach-Services.aspx