By. Tatiana Yulo
In 2021, the National College Health Assessment reported that 73 percent of college students were reportedly suffering from some kind of mental illness. The consequences of these actions most commonly end up with two very serious results: suicide ideations or self-harm. Sadly, this all occurs due to many types of factors: academic pressure, social pressure, or financial concerns.
No matter what solutions college students try to justify with their mental health, here are some major and important tips to rely on for yourself, or someone you may know, who is struggling with their mental health in college.
- Utilizing mental health services in your institution: Most colleges offer free in-house personal counseling. At Bergen Community College, our personal counseling services are located in the Health, Wellness, and Personal Counseling Office in the Pitkin Building. This office includes multiple counselors, such as Professor Eileen Purcell and Professor Stafford Barton. These counselors are here to help you in your toughest times and even at times when you just want to speak to someone.
- Avoiding Drug and Alcohol Use: Many college students turn to drugs and alcohol for self-medication or most commonly, for recreational use. The consumption of drugs and alcohol triggers our undiagnosed mental health symptoms to worsen. To understand addiction to consuming drugs and alcohol, there are multiple resources to turn to. To name a few, the 988 lifeline is a 24/7 hotline to call about the overconsumption of drugs and alcohol, and the national hotline for substance abuse and mental health is a year-round hotline to call for yourself or for your family members who are struggling.
- Proper sleeping habits: It’s very commonly known that college students utilize their open time by grabbing extra shifts at their job or going on late-night outings with their friends rather than staying home and giving themselves a proper sleep schedule. The loss of sleep and proper rest can easily decrease the serotonin in our body, leading to our mental health degrading over time. Your busy mind requires rest, and neglecting it will leave you with less energy the next day.
All the given tips won’t solve your unbalanced mental health in college overnight, but taking note of them and using them in your daily life or routine will help you navigate through the weeks as the semester progresses. Everyone goes through their struggles differently, but it’s important to know that there is always help out there and you are not struggling alone.
If you are struggling with your mental health, please reach out to the appropriate campus resources:
For personal counseling, reach out to PersonalCounseling@bergen.edu
UWill Crisis Support: (833) 646-1526
Preferred Behavioral Health: (800) 542-0184, then press 2
24/7 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988
For more information on counseling, visit: https://bergen.edu/health-wellness-and-personal-counseling/personalcounseling/
