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Carla Moreno

Santosh Khadka

English 113

October 24, 2022

Mental health on college students

Mental health is a subject that we should take very seriously, a subject that everyone should be

very well informed about. I personally know that talking about our emotions is very difficult,

especially when you come from a country where you are judged for seeking help, if you seek

help you are labeled as a weak person. Mental illness can make everyday life feel unbearable

and can have just as serious an effect on a person as a physical illness. The cases of mental

problems in university students are increasing even more, this is a big problem that requires us to

start doing something about it to improve the mental health of students not only in the US since it

is a global problem.
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We have to take into account that the word psychopathology has a definition which must

be thoroughly studied with all its divisions, functions and responsibilities that it comes to have in

the extinction of the word psychopathology is investigated in obtaining answers to difficult

questions that are in search of a clear and precise definition since immense disorders are

involved in it in relation to the mind in it clear examples are presented such as depression, bad

character that creep from the depths of the brain and thus seeking the best treatment for its

positive recovery .

According to Adam Felman, etc., when we talk about our mental health we refer to our

emotional, psychological and social well-being. Everything around us affects our mental health,

the way we feel, think, act and process. Mental illness is a very serious problem without a

solution since everyone is different, they think differently. The main problem here is that society

does not give the necessary importance to mental health especially of students, there are many

people who do not receive enough information to understand what mental health is as such and

this leads to them not knowing how to seek help. When they are struggling with their day-to-day

or that they don't even realize that they have problems, because of this they think that they are

broken or that they are the problem because disorders like depression, anxiety, eating disorders

are generated, among others.

The feelings and thoughts of any person are valid, regardless of age, race, gender, etc.

We are all human and we have the right to have feelings but of course no one reacts in the same

way as others, since we all have different experiences and thoughts.

According to Hannah Ritchie, etc. “Children who are securely attached as infants tend to

develop a higer self-steem and better self-reliance as they grow older. These children also tend

to be more independent, perform better in school, have successful social relationships, and
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experience less depression and anxiety.” (Ritchie, pg.1). The habits that we have as adults, the

decisions that we always make are a reflection of our childhood. Our childhood really influences

our entire life, so if we have a healthy childhood we tend to have better relationships in our lives

and a healthy life and stability. Unfortunately not many people havethis privilege of enjoying a

good childhood, so as adults they have a hard time relating to others.

Mental health care is not as easy as it sounds, it is a very difficult process and takes a

long time because it mainly requires recognizing that you are not well and accepting that you

need help and investigating what kind of help you need. As the author mentioned “In 2020, the

number of people living with anxiety and depressive disorders rose significantly because of the

COVID-19 pandemic. Initial estimates show a 26% and 28% increase respectively for anxiety

and major depressive disorders in just one year (2).” And it is real, the pandemic ended up

aggravating or triggering many mental illnesses, both due to loneliness, lost due to Covid 19, the

isolation was very hard for everyone and even more so for those who did not live with anyone.

The factor that trigger anxiety in university students are mainly time management, since

during high school they are used to a certain schedule and are normally busy from 7 in the

morning to 3 in the afternoon from Monday to Friday, while in the university they choose their

classes themselves so it is a drastic change. They are confident that they have a lot of free time

and they tend to procrastinate and this leads to their work being put together and they feel

overwhelmed so this begins to affect them academically. It also begins to generate other mental

disorders like anxiety and depression, lack of energy, etc.

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Our world data mentioned “The data shown in this entry demonstrate that mental health

disorders are common everywhere. Improving awareness, recognition, support and treatment for

this range of disorders should therefore be an essential focus for global health.”

This graph shows that many college students have felt sad, depressed or anxious and

there's some who doesnt even know what they are feeling.

Many of the students have lived with their families all their lives, when they enroll in the

university many have to move either to the university dormitories or to apartments near the

school, so they have to separate from their families. Even though some are only a couple of

hours away from home they feel homesick as they are used to depending on someone, so when

they have to learn to transition from dependent to independent. It cushions a little if you manage

to have a good relationship with your roommate, but when you don't, it complicates staying away

from home even more.

After the research I did, I discovered that most students feel homesick. Everyone reacts in

a different way but international students struggle more as they are more than 10 hours away
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from home, therefore they have to take flights and this is another of their worries that causes

them home sickness leading to depression, anxiety or stress. International students usually have

similar problems to students who are citizens but for them it is more difficult since they do not

have family to lean on or even friends. Many times, they prefer to Isolate their feelings in order to

not worry those they love and everyone else around them. This in turn contributes to their distress.

Going to college is a very important and difficult decision, it is not a decision that can be taken

lightly because going to college requires a lot of effort, time and money.

Money is one of the biggest concerns of students and their families, since most of them

have non-academic expenses that are basic needs that they simply cannot ignore. Another

concern of university students that overwhelms them is having to look for a part-time job to pay

for their expenses, and this is more difficult since many do not have experience with any type of

work and therefore, that affects them to get a job. Financial management can be very difficult

for students. As I mentioned before, they have always depended on their relatives, so they never
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learned how to pay for their expenses. Based on the article that I read it said “One study showed

that 70% of college students are stressed about finances.[1] With work, school, activities, and

friends all demanding attention, many students struggle with balancing and prioritizing the

different areas of their lives.”

Having to work to pay for financial academic responsibilities is a challenge in itself but

having to start working apart from studying. Although many students already do it, not all of

them have the stamina to tolerate such things or parts of life. Everyone needs time for oneself at

least one day dedicated only to one's mental and physical health, and not doing so leads to

consequences that many people do not think of.

Mental health is so important that taking it lightly or not taking it seriously is why there

are many people who cause harm to themselves or others. All because their mental capacity did

not abound so that their judgment would not be clouded. The issue of mental health cannot be

stressed enough because it is one of the most important that can exist in anyone's life and not

only because it affects them but also because it affects everyone around them. According to Matt

Killorin, “Adapting to a new country’s language, food, and cultural norms and rules can take

time. Minor discomforts may seem overwhelming, and being away from your support systems

and the people you rely on can make the change a challenging experience.”

It is very sad to see how many of the college students have not recently received

psychological help or even never received it, since it is not very good for their mental and

physical health to keep all their emotions to themselves and not talk about it. This affects them

both academically and personally.

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It is also impressive to see how students feel about college, and this is because they do

not feel seen before the school and its faculty, the lack of services for their mental health

discourages them from enjoying learning and improving, they have a very wrong school

perspective.

This was a survey I did to some college students.