FIUSM Staff
opinion@fiusm.com
Mental health in college is a difficult thing to maintain for many students.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, in a report they titled “An Epidemic of Anguish,” 58 percent of college campuses have seen a rise in anxiety disorders, while 89 percent have seen an increase in diagnoses of clinical depression.
Caught among stress, relationships, lack of sleep and, for most, being away from home for the first time, it’s no surprise when these statistics come to light.
This editorial board wants the students of FIU to know how and where they can get help.
Whether they need to relax, get something off their chest or even receive regular counseling sessions, Counseling and Psychological Services at FIU is an invaluable resource for students.
On the second floor of the Student Health Services building on MMC, and in WUC 320 on BBC, CAPS offers free, one-on-one short-term psychotherapy, victim empowerment measures, group counseling, workshops and testing for those struggling academically, among other services made available to all registered FIU students.
For those afraid for their privacy, they can be assured that CAPS is completely discreet. Anyone at the office will assert this: unless you pose immediate danger to yourself or others, they will not share any information exchanged between patient and counselor.
That said, there is a stigma that lurks around the acknowledgement that one might need a little help dealing with their life as it comes. Conditions like anxiety and depression are touchy subjects, both culturally and personally.
This board is of the opinion that no one should feel ashamed at being unhappy, nor that anyone should suffer alone when so many services are made available to them.
Admitting to oneself that something is wrong is often the most difficult part of the healing process. And that’s just what healing is – a process.
It takes work to be healthy, especially when happiness is, for better or worse, not the default human condition. It’s okay to be unhappy, what really matters, though, is the action one takes to feel well.
Panthers, we’re in college – we’re supposed to be over-stressed and underslept, but we’re also supposed to have fun. Here’s to a healthy, happy semester at FIU, and to taking control of one’s emotional well being.
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