Winter break(down)
by Elana Premack Sandler, L.C.S.W., M.P.H.
December 22, 2010
For the past three winters, I've observed from afar a trend on college and university campuses. Just before winter break, when campuses shut down for up to a month, students come to counseling centers in droves. It's finals time, the end of the semester, the height of academic stress. It's also a time of personal transition for students, as they may be going home for the first time, renewing or ending relationships, or shifting gears from the pace of the first semester of the year.
In a New York Times article earlier this week, a Stony Brook University student reflected on her freshman year: "...all her high school friends were talking about how great a time they were having in college, while she felt miserable. She faced family issues and the pressure of adjusting to college. ‘You go home to Thanksgiving dinner, and the family asks your brother how is his gerbil, and they ask you, ‘What are doing with the rest of your life?'"
For a young person with a strong sense of self-esteem, good social networks and family support, and some experience bouncing back from adversity, the "What are you doing with the rest of your life?" question can be exhilarating to answer.
But, for students struggling with this first phase of the transition into adulthood, who might feel isolated or alienated, or who face seemingly insurmountable obstacles academically or in peer relationships, that question, and all that's wrapped up in it, can be completely overwhelming. The rest of your life can feel like a very long time when you can't even be sure about what you're going to accomplish tomorrow.
A survey of students by the American College Health Association has shown that many students feel hopeless, overwhelmed, exhausted, lonely, sad, anxious, or angry at some point during the course of the year. But, as they looked back over the past year, of the students surveyed, about a third never felt things were hopeless. Forty-seven percent reported that they never felt so depressed that it was difficult to function. And over a third said they never felt overwhelming anxiety.
It's balancing those two reflections of the data that may help campuses figure out how to work with college students' mental health needs. Yes, there are students who come to campus with psychiatric diagnoses. There are students who haven't struggled before but all of a sudden find themselves naming every one of the feelings I listed above. But, there are also students who are coping, or who need just a bit of guidance to get on track. College is an opportunity to develop life skills, and campus professionals - counseling, residence hall, and student affairs staff - can all take part in working with students on these skills.
Suicide prevention is top of mind for college counselors, often as crisis intervention when a student is sitting across from them, breaking down. But suicide prevention on college campuses can also take the form of mental health promotion, with everyone taking the longer view and seeing what lies before and after crisis.
by Elana Premack Sandler, L.C.S.W., M.P.H.
December 22, 2010
For the past three winters, I've observed from afar a trend on college and university campuses. Just before winter break, when campuses shut down for up to a month, students come to counseling centers in droves. It's finals time, the end of the semester, the height of academic stress. It's also a time of personal transition for students, as they may be going home for the first time, renewing or ending relationships, or shifting gears from the pace of the first semester of the year.
In a New York Times article earlier this week, a Stony Brook University student reflected on her freshman year: "...all her high school friends were talking about how great a time they were having in college, while she felt miserable. She faced family issues and the pressure of adjusting to college. ‘You go home to Thanksgiving dinner, and the family asks your brother how is his gerbil, and they ask you, ‘What are doing with the rest of your life?'"
For a young person with a strong sense of self-esteem, good social networks and family support, and some experience bouncing back from adversity, the "What are you doing with the rest of your life?" question can be exhilarating to answer.
But, for students struggling with this first phase of the transition into adulthood, who might feel isolated or alienated, or who face seemingly insurmountable obstacles academically or in peer relationships, that question, and all that's wrapped up in it, can be completely overwhelming. The rest of your life can feel like a very long time when you can't even be sure about what you're going to accomplish tomorrow.
A survey of students by the American College Health Association has shown that many students feel hopeless, overwhelmed, exhausted, lonely, sad, anxious, or angry at some point during the course of the year. But, as they looked back over the past year, of the students surveyed, about a third never felt things were hopeless. Forty-seven percent reported that they never felt so depressed that it was difficult to function. And over a third said they never felt overwhelming anxiety.
It's balancing those two reflections of the data that may help campuses figure out how to work with college students' mental health needs. Yes, there are students who come to campus with psychiatric diagnoses. There are students who haven't struggled before but all of a sudden find themselves naming every one of the feelings I listed above. But, there are also students who are coping, or who need just a bit of guidance to get on track. College is an opportunity to develop life skills, and campus professionals - counseling, residence hall, and student affairs staff - can all take part in working with students on these skills.
Suicide prevention is top of mind for college counselors, often as crisis intervention when a student is sitting across from them, breaking down. But suicide prevention on college campuses can also take the form of mental health promotion, with everyone taking the longer view and seeing what lies before and after crisis.
