College students mental health suffering from not only outside but inside the classroom

What do college students do every day? They go to class. Who is the one person they are guaranteed to see? Their professor. Professors play a bigger role in that 33 percent than they may think, and some may not consider the reason why their students chair has begun to collect dust is because of them and the way they are conducting their class. As BU researcher Sarah Ketchen Lipson said, “Faculty need to be flexible with deadlines and remind students that their talent is not solely demonstrated by their ability to get a top grade during one challenging semester.” (Lipson) One of Lipson's solutions for professors were to “...circulating information about campus resources for mental health and wellness,” (Lipson) and yes, I agree to a certain point that professors should let their students know what is available for them, but what good does that do if the list provided is little to no help because of the lack of resources the college has for mental health.

Colleges all around are struggling to keep up with the numbers of students seeking help with mental health problems. 34.2 percent of students with a mental health concern said their college did not know about their crisis and it was amazing, not actually, but how one of the main articles that popped up when I was doing my research was “Texas State faces increased demand for mental health services” and one of the key points was shocking. "According to the NCHA survey, the second most common reason for visiting the health center is mental health-related, the first being for a cold, sore throat or the flu.” If mental health is the second reason for visiting the health center, why are there still students going untreated? Their answer being that the department is taxed but tell me why students can get a free covid test and free treatment within the same day but may not be seen for up to 2-3 weeks for the third reason why people die in America today...suicide from depression.

A student that attends the University of Houston with the name of Mariellee Aurelio is one example of the many students that struggle to get the help they need. “Mariellee Aurelio had already thought of several ways to kill herself. Getting a gun, jumping off a building and overdosing on over-the-counter pills were options she considered. It was time to get help. But when Aurelio called the college counseling center in December 2014, she was told to call back later; all appointments for the day were booked. With winter break just around the corner, she could not meet with a counselor before the end of the semester.” (Pattani) It’s not like us college students know when we are going to need help and "I can't really time my panic attacks to hit only on weekdays during the center's 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. counselor walk-in hours," (Stearman) a college student at eastern Washington university said. So, Mariellee was left in the darkness by herself with no help from the school or her parents but just her sheets to keep her warm. All the days she needed help and all the days she spent inside in the darkness crossing a line through another day on her calendar hurt her more than the health center knows.

When students go through the stage of depression where they stay inside in with their blinds closed for days straight it does more harm than good and can actually cause depression and or make it worse if you have been diagnosed. One of the main reasons students lock themselves in their room when depressed is loneliness. “Two-thirds of college students are struggling with loneliness and feeling isolated...” When the clock stops ticking and three days go by, you don’t even realize, it’s feeding your depression. “This detachment from the natural world — and natural sunlight, specifically — can have negative impacts, and can even have deleterious effects...” (Walden)