Mental health concerns on college campuses
By Avery Boulware
ROME, Ga. – Mental illnesses are rapidly increasing at college campuses across the country, and no one is exempt: public or private, liberal arts or technical schools. In a recent study by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 50 percent of surveyed college students rated their mental health at below average or poor.
Berry is no exception to this growing problem. Terri Cordle, associate director of counseling at Berry, says that each year is worse than the last.
“The severity and level of depression that we are seeing this semester is impressive,” Cordle said. “But we aren’t alone, colleges across the country are dealing with that. We also aren’t alone in the severity of issues getting worse and worse every year. Every year we are saying ‘wow we’ve never seen it this bad.’ I’m sure I’ll be saying the same thing next fall.”
Cordle is one of the three counselors employed by Berry College. Both she and Marshall Jenkins, director of counseling, are full time staff members. This year, another part-time counselor was added to ease the load of appointments on the schedule, but right now appointments have to be booked at least two weeks in advance.
The rise in anxiety and depression among Berry students is not simply arbitrary. Cordle has observed patterns, and attributes this increase in mental health conditions to a number of causes.
“I think a school like Berry attracts a lot of people who are very high achieving and have some perfectionist tendencies, and those lend very well to anxiety and depression. It takes a lot of energy to be academically successful at Berry. It also takes a lot of energy for people with anxiety or other mental health issues to academically stay afloat. You add that to a highly competitive academic program and it tips the scales for a lot of people.”
Other factors include family problems, genetic dispositions and unhealthy lifestyles in general. Exercise, healthy eating habits, adequate sleep and social involvement all contribute to a healthy mental state.
“It’s a life balance,” says Cordle. “I ask [students] ‘are you having any fun?’ and they just look at me like they don’t remember what ‘fun’ is.”
One of the ways Berry has made an effort to stop the rise in mental illness, as well as educate students about a number of issues, is by instituting the Peer Educators program.
The Peer Educators are a group of students that organize programs and provide resources to students about most issues that college students might face. Mental illness is a significant part of their mission.
“Our main focus is to get rid of the stigma that occurs with mental illness,” Jacquelyn Bruun, one of the Peer Educators on staff, said. “We want to help change the way it’s viewed. We want to start conversations on campus.”
The Peer Educators act as a bridge between Berry students and the counselors. They meet with the counselors to better communicate with one another what they believe Berry students need to hear the most.
“It would be very difficult for [the counselors] to be the ones sitting in Krannert saying ‘you should love your body!” Brunn said. “But it’s a lot easier for a group of 20-year-olds to get that conversation started.”
There have been numerous reports on the mishandling of mental health conditions on college campuses across America. There have been several national news stories about administrators failing to properly accommodate for students that need treatment or assistance. But, especially in the past decade, the Berry community has been proactively seeking to provide for their students in whatever area they might need it.