College Student

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College Students Mental Health
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sNaUgHtyGrLe
u there?
GnArlyDudE
Here.
sNaUgHtyGrLe
can we talk?
GnArlyDudE
Sure. Whats Up?
i cant stand my life anymore i never go to
class, i feel like i cant keep upI am so outta
control
sNaUgHtyGrLe
GnArlyDudE
That sucks! Are you going to be okay?
sNaUgHtyGrLe
yea i just need to go c my shrink again. I
stopped taking my xanex two weeks ago, and i am
really worried about school.
GnArlyDudE
Yea I have a ton of HUGE tests this week.
sNaUgHtyGrLe
i dont have any tests. or papers. or a job
anymore or money i am just worried.
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sNaUgHtyGrLe
my grandma died last week. but I barely knew her.
GnArlyDudE
Why did you stop taking your medications?
sNaUgHtyGrLe
i dont have any money anymore
GnArlyDudE
Oh. Then howd you have that huge party last Sat.
at your apt?
well, that was the last of my fundage, and you
know, alcohol is a staple in college, right?
sNaUgHtyGrLe
GnArlyDudE
Man GrLe you dont seem like your normal self
these days
sNaUgHtyGrLe
i know but i dont know why???
GnArlyDudE
I havent seen you in class all week.
sNaUgHtyGrLe
i know
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i just dont want to leave my bed anymore and i
eat all day long
sNaUgHtyGrLe
GnArlyDudE
Have you talked with anyone about this yet?
sNaUgHtyGrLe
Like a counselor?! Im not CrAzY!!!
GnArlyDudE
Well maybe you could talk to Matt the RA dude,
he seems like a cool guy?
sNaUgHtyGrLe
yea maybe.
GnArlyDudE
I think you should. It couldnt hurt?
sNaUgHtyGrLe
Idk. i am sure tomorrow Ill be fine peachy
keen, you know?
GnArlyDudE
common sNaUgHtyGrLe I will go with you to talk
with RA Matt.
sNaUgHtyGrLe
ok but dont tell my roommates. I dont want them
to think i am crazy too! )
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Disorder Prevalence

• Dr. Ronald Kessler from Harvard University found
  that 37 of people aged 15-24 years old have a
  diagnosable mental illness.

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Resident Assistants Doctors
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Mental Health Disorders

• health conditions that are characterized by
  alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior
  associated with distress and/or impaired
  functioning.

• Anxiety Disorders
• Mood Disorders
• Personality Disorders
• Learning Disorders
• Eating Disorders

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Disorder Prevalence

• Eating disorders affect 5-10 million women and 1
  million men, with the highest rates occurring in
  college-aged women.
• Suicide was the third leading cause of death for
  those aged 15-24, and the second leading killer
  in the college population in 1998.
• More than 30 of college freshman report feeling
  overwhelmed a great deal of the time. About 38
  of college women report feeling frequently
  overwhelmed.

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Common Mental Disorders

• Major Depressive Disorder 9.9 million
• Dysthymic Disorder 10.9 million
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 5.5 million
• Social Phobia 5.3 million
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder 4.0 million
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 3.3 million
• Panic Disorder 2.4 million
• Bipolar Disorder 2.3 million
• Schizophrenia 2.2 million

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Anxiety Disorders

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Panic Disorder
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder)
• Women are five times as likely to have anxiety
  disorders.

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Panic Attacks

• a discrete period in which there is the sudden
  onset of intense apprehension, fearfulness, or
  terror, often associated with feelings of
  impending doom. During these attacks, symptoms
  such as shortness of breath, palpitations, chest
  pain, or discomfort, choking or smothering
  sensations, and fear of going crazy or losing
  control are present.

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Mood Disorders

• Major Depressive Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)
• Cyclothymic Disorder
• Dysthymic Disorder

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Mood Disorders

• Symptoms to be on the lookout for a major
  depressive episode include
• Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day
• Loss of pleasure or interest in activities
• Weight loss or gain / decrease or increase in
  appetite
• Insomnia or hypersomnia everyday
• Feelings of worthlessness / excessive or
  inappropriate guilt
• Inability to think or concentrate /
  indecisiveness
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide ideation

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Mood Disorders

• Symptoms to be on the lookout for a manic episode
  include
• Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
• Decreased need for sleep
• More talkative than usual
• Flight of ideas or racing thoughts
• Distractibility
• Increased goal-directed activity
• Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities
  that can have negative consequences

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Common Medications

• Disorder Generic Name Brand Name 
• Depression Citalopram Celexa 
• Fluoxetine Prozac 
• Paroxetine Paxol 
• Sertraline Zoloft 
• Bipolar Disorder Lithium Carbonate Eskalith,
  Lithotabs 
• Bupropion Wellbutrin, Zyban 
• Fluvoxamine Luvox 
• Valproic Acid Depakote 
• Anxiety Alpraozolam Xanax 
• Diazepam Valium

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Personality Disorders

• Paranoid Personality Disorder
• Schizoid Personality Disorder
• Schizotypal Personality Disorder
• Antisocial Personality Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Histrionic Personality Disorder
• Narcissistic Personality Disorder
• Avoidant Personality Disorder
• Dependent Personality Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Odd or Eccentric
Dramatic, Emotional, or Erratic
Anxious or Fearful
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Personality Disorders

• 30.8 Million American adults (14.8) meet
  standard criteria for (at least) one personality
  disorder.

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Learning Disorders

• Two-thirds of high school graduates with learning
  disabilities were rated "not qualified" to enter
  a four-year college.
• Only 13 of students with learning disabilities
  have attended a 4-year post-secondary school
  program within two years of leaving high school.

• Dyslexia
• Dyscalculia
• Dysgraphia
• Attention Deficit Disorder
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

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Eating Disorders

• ANOREXIA NERVOSA
• BULIMIA NERVOSA
• BINGE EATING

• 8 million Americans suffer from anorexia or
  bulimia.
• All eating disorders are psychological disorders,
  which can be treated effectively through
  psychological, nutritional and medical care.
• The weight loss industry nets over 33 BILLION
  dollars per year.
• 11 of female college students suffer from
  bulimia.
• Most people who have an eating disorder have very
  low self-esteem and look to others for approval.
  Food and their weight are the few things they
  feel that they can control in their lives.
• Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate
  of any psychological disease.
• 10 of teenagers with an eating disorder are
  males.

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Common Myths

• Myth 1 Psychiatric disorders are not true
  medical illnesses like heart disease and
  diabetes. People who have a mental illness are
  just "crazy."
• Myth 2 People with a severe mental illness,
  such as schizophrenia, are usually dangerous and
  violent.
• Myth 3 Mental illness is the result of bad
  parenting.

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Common Myths

• Myth 4 Depression results from a personality
  weakness or character flaw, and people who are
  depressed could just snap out of it if they tried
  hard enough.
• Myth 5 Schizophrenia means split personality,
  and there is no way to control it.
• Myth 6 Depression is a normal part of the aging
  process.

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Common Myths

• Myth 7 Depression and other illnesses, such as
  anxiety disorders, do not affect children or
  adolescents. Any problems they have are just a
  part of growing up.
• Myth 8 If you have a mental illness, you can
  will it away. Being treated for a psychiatric
  disorder means an individual has in some way
  "failed" or is weak.
• Myth 9 Addiction is a lifestyle choice and
  shows a lack of willpower. People with a
  substance abuse problem are morally weak or
  "bad".
• Myth 10 Mental illness only affects people in
  rich countries.

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Mental Health Discussion Topic Movies

• AS GOOD AS IT GETS                         
• A BEAUTIFUL MIND             
• BENNY AND JOON                             
• A CLOCKWORK ORANGE                         
• COBB                                       
• CONSPIRACY THEORY                          
• A DEADLY SECRET THE ROBERT BIERER STORY    
• ELLING                                     
• FALLING DOWN                               
• FORREST GUMP                               
• GIRL INTERRUPTED                            
• GOOD WILL HUNTING                           

• THE HOURS                  
• IRIS                                  
• K-PAX                                 
• MUMFORD                               
• NIXON                                  
• OF MICE AND MEN                       
• THE OTHER SISTER                      
• RAIN MAN                              
• THE SHINING                           
• THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS              
• SILENT FALL                           
• THE SIXTH SENSE                       
• SLING BLADE              
• UNITED STATES OF LELAND                           
   

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Campus Resources

• - reader/taping services- test
  accommodations- tutor referral- note taker
  supplies and copy services- advocacy and
  counseling- faculty/staff consultation-
  resource materials- referral to community
  agencies- sign language services- temporary
  disability parking- group educational
  presentations- facilitation of adaptive
  equipment requests- orientation presentations

• Depression Questionnaire
• Anxiety Information

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What Can I Do When Referring to the Counseling
Center Doesnt Fit?

• Educate Everyone
• Try Not to Label
• Talk to your supervisor
• Know Your Student Code
• Refer to Resources
• Provide Students with Resources

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Resources

• National Mental Health Association www.nmha.org
• Anxiety Disorders Association of America
  www.adaa.org
• The Anxiety-Panic Internet Resource
  www.algy.com/anxiety/index.shtml
• Panic Anxiety Education Management Services
  www.paems.com.au/index.html
• Anxiety/Panic Attack Resource Site
  www.anxietypanic.com
• Freedom From Fear www.freedomfromfear.com
• National Anxiety Foundation http//lexington-on-
  line.com/naf.html
• National Institute of Mental Health
  www.nimh.nih.gov
• Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation
  www.ocfoundation.org

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Resources

• National Institute of Mental Health
• http//www.nimh.nih.gov/nimhhome/index.cfm
• Housing Pro- Scott M. Helfrich, M.S. Area
  Coordinator, Bloomsburg
• www.reslife.net
• http//www.borderlinepersonalitytoday.com/main/myt
  hs.htm
• http//www.reslife.net/assets/docs/eating_disorder
  s.doc

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Submitted by Christina Marie Clark, Area
Coordinator, University of Southern Indiana