Be Informed at College

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Ignorance is a major factor in the increase in mental health problems on college campuses. Too many students don't recognize the signs and symptoms of trouble, and those who do feel ashamed or embarrassed, and so they keep the problem to themselves. If we are to make even the slightest reduction in the numbers of students struggling with emotional and psychological problems, each one of you needs to start paying attention to yourself, your needs, and your feelings.

What? Me Worry?

You can start to get to know yourself by keeping track of the way you worry. Dr. Ned Hallowell talks about anxiety and stress in a very readable and useful book called Worry. He notes that we all worry about things to one degree or another, and the key is to focus on "productive" versus "toxic" worry.²

Let's say you're worried about an upcoming exam. If you handle that worry by scheduling time to study, reviewing your notes, and preparing for the exam, you are practicing productive worry. But if you spend the time before the exam obsessing about how hopeless your life will be when you fail the exam, you are stuck in a state of toxic worry.

You can use productive more often than toxic worry if you follow these steps when you have a problem:

1. Be aware of the circumstance that is causing you to worry.
2. Recognize the patterns you fall into when you're worried (obsess? eat more? sleep less? give up?).
3. Challenge the negative patterns, and actively do something to take you a step closer to resolving the problem.
4. Reach out. Support from friends and teachers can get you through bad situations.

The key is to be aware of how you are feeling and what you're doing to cope. Face your fears; it's the only way to defeat them. Denial is the enemy of growth.

Know the Symptoms

Everybody feels unhappy and down sometimes. It's part of life. But a willingness to accept these feelings as "normal" even when they persist for weeks at a time may keep you from recognizing the symptoms of excessive stress, anxiety, or depression.

Over and over again, I see students who have trouble concentrating, aren't sleeping well, are losing motivation and confidence, and withdrawing socially, who say they just need to focus and apply themselves more. They don't see the danger signs or choose to ignore them, fearing that depression or an anxiety disorder is a personal weakness or character flaw. Rather than face the issues and seek help, they end up in denial, trying to convince themselves how they ought to feel rather than accepting what they actually feel. They become victimized by depression, sleep disorders, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, various self-destructive "coping styles" such as chronic procrastination, preoccupation or obsession around relationships or sexuality, cutting or other self-mutilating behaviors, and in the most extreme cases overt suicide attempts.

Don't let this happen to you. Know the signs of mental health problems and be willing to seek help when you need it. These are the primary symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression to watch out for: