Mental health is defined as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community” (World Health Organization, 2014). Mental health is a critical component to a student’s academic success and many post-secondary students are suffering from mental health issues. Every university across Canada is dealing with major mental health concerns. (McCloskey & Meissner, 2013). Although it may not be clear where students can get help, services are available in each community. One of every 5 university students in Canada are dealing with a mental illness. A survey called the National College …show more content…
If a student drops out of school due to mental health issues, they are not only missing out on the academic information they will gain from receiving a degree, but also the real life skills they would acquire over the course of their time spent in university. A student that is dealing with depression will most likely have reduced motivation and interest, a disruption of sleep, difficulty focusing and ultimately, suicidal thoughts (Eisenberg, Golberstein, & Hunt, 2009). Students may experience an inability to filter environmental stimuli. For example, sitting in a lecture but not being able to concentrate due to the sound of a loud fan nearby. Students may feel restless, become easily distracted, have a shortened attention span, or be unable to retain information. A student suffering from mental health issues may not have enough energy to attend all of their classes in a day, be enrolled in what is considered to be a full course load, or write a 3-hour exam in one sitting. It may become difficult for a student to manage their time and have the ability to take on multiple tasks or assignments at once. This could affect their ability to pass things in by their due date. Students may also have difficulty interacting with their fellow students. A student with mental health issues may not respond to …show more content…
A study conducted from January to April of 2013 by the Canadian Organization of University and College Health determined that many Canadian post-secondary students were feeling stressed, lonely, overwhelmed and suicidal. Over 30,000 students were surveyed. Of these 30,000 students surveyed, 90% of them said they had felt overwhelmed in the past year, 50% had feelings of hopelessness and 63% were experiencing loneliness. Unfortunately, 9.5% of students said they had considered suicide, while 1.3% had actually attempted it. According to Dr. Su-Ting Teo of Ryerson University in Toronto, many of these problems students face are often overlooked. Students deal with a variety of issues ranging from finances, academics, relationships and their health. 55% of students are dealing with three or more of these issues at the same time (Miller,
The policy analysis is based on the increasing numbers of cases on mental health issues in college and university campuses. The topic is supported by evidential data collected from various studies and peer-reviewed articles that show the statistical prevalence of the most common forms of mental health issues seen among the students, which shows that the prevalence rate is ever-increasing. The methodologies recommended for implementation include increased availability of resources and facilitating the accessibility of these resources through overcoming barriers. Some policy options have been suggested for consideration and recommendations have been made accordingly. The fiscal impact has also been considered and suggestions
Many of these students, like Avery, may belive that there really is no light at the end of the tunnel, or that they are “just gonna be that weird depressed guy” and “should just accept it”. Not only is this belife self-destroying but it is also untrue. It is of vital importance that students suffering with mental illness are made aware that what they are going through is not permanent and that there are resources available for them, something many univercities and colleges need to make more
Students entering college for the first time become concern with their college life. The students are on their own once they enter college. There are no parents or guardians telling them when to do homework, when to go to bed, or how to eat healthy. These student are now responsible on how they are going to succeed in school and meet their own needs. From the beginning, these students wonder what their experience is going to be like and are they going to handle the demands from college. Students are becoming more stressful due to academic demands, social life, and work. First-year college students should receive more help from school to learn how to help themselves and become independent.
Within social assistance programs in Canada, there is a general split between social security programs and social and welfare services. Social security programs, which are the responsibility of all levels of government, deliver direct economic support in one way or another to individuals or families. Included in this category are programs such as family allowances, old age pensions and provincial and municipal social-assistance programs. Whereas Social and Welfare service programs, have been established in an attempt to address personal, social and emotional needs. These services are now often referred to as the
Starting college can be a stressful time for any adolescent. For students suffering from depression it can be a traumatic experience. Worlds feel turned upside down. Even for those who manage to “cope,” pressures can cause these students to feel overwhelmed.
“Mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior” (Mayo Clinic). Mental disorders can happen many times through one’s life, but mental illness is classified as an ongoing problem with the symptoms that can affect the ability to perform normal day to day tasks (Mayo Clinic). Many people look at those afflicted with mental disorders as being crazy or clinically insane, while the reality is a problem many people live with on a daily basis with help from medications, psychologist visits, family, friends, help groups, and many other support systems. The lack of support available to mentally ill patients, the more that will refuse treatment and refuse to find help for their disorders. Many people who were born with mental disorders grow up knowing they have a problem, but people who develop them later in age don’t understand how to cope with it.
Close to six million Canadians live with mental illness; let alone the thousands that are undiagnosed. Mental illness has made big headlines in the news in the recent years. The people suffering from mental illness have been faced with discrimination a caused by a stigma towards them. Mental illness can be caused by many different factors whether they are psychological or environmental. Although only twenty percent of Canadians personally experience mental illness in their lifetime, it affects everyone in their lives. Many of the people suffering from mental illness live their lives in silence because of the stigma attached to the illness. They would rather nobody know about their condition than face the stigma and discrimination of the public. Society has come a long way from a hundred years ago when they would use trepanation. Trepanation is a primitive method used to heal head injuries; they truly believed that carving a hole in ones skull would release any mental injuries the patient had. A decade ago people suffering from mental illness were treated as if they were less than others. Now a days, people suffering from mental illness are not treated as poorly as before, they have larger support group than before, and society is more understanding of mental illness now. However, there is still much room for improvement.
Wadhwani, Sudha. Reaching Out to Diverse Students with Mental Health Services. 20 December 2010. Web. 16 November 2013.
Margaret, M.A.(2009). Framework for a Mental Health Strategy for Canada. Health Policy Monitor survey 13.
Illness. When most people hear that word, they think Cancer, Diabetes, AIDs, Ebola, or the Black Plague. The epitome of a sick person is tired, grey, and laying in bed. Now, imagine an ill person walking down the hall, sitting in class, or eating in the school cafeteria. Is it strange? This is no alternate reality. The term “illness” addresses both the physical and mental condition of a person. 20% of American teens are affected by some type of mental disorder that affects their capability to function (“Mental Health By The Numbers” 1). High schools are constantly searching for ways to improve this percentage, actions ranging from adding counselors to decreasing class size to delaying the bell schedule. One solution, known by many different names but unchanged in concept, is allowing students to take mental health days.
Can you picture the student voted “most likely to succeed” in your graduating class? This individual must have had everything going for them. They probably had good grades, popular, never in trouble, no health issues and socially and emotionally stable. However, twenty years later, after graduating college, a successful business owner, had a beautiful wife and three kids, he decides emotionally he is done and takes his own life. Mental health issues can manifest at anytime with varying degrees of significance on the emotional stability of a person. Factors such as socioeconomic status, biological and environmental issues all dictate mental health needs. Obviously, a variety of circumstances can evoke these mental health issues. Now imagine coping with these mental health issues and being expected to still be a normal student and conform to your peers around you. This is what we expect of our students dealing with a variety of mental health issues. The policies and procedures are established to meet the needs of all students. The mental health issues are recognized and evaluated based on the best placement for the student to receive an education. The public school system has the responsibility to provide a free and appropriate education. The school does the best they can to provide a whole school approach to deal with the increasing number of mental health concerns. However, the mental health concerns carry on beyond high school.
Depression is defined as a common but serious mental illness typically marked by sad or anxious feelings. Most college students occasionally feel these emotions, but they usually pass quickly within a couple of days. It is untreated depression that it interferes with daily activities, and is much more than just being “a little down” or “feeling blue.” The causes can include many things, a couple of which academic stress and self-esteem. These have been shown to have a great impact on the students.
Depression is also known to impair psychosocial development and academic success (Lindsey 2009). With all of these factors put together, it can be tough for any student with depression to carry on with their normal day-to-day activities.... ... middle of paper ... ...http://jedfoundation.org/documents/DepressionandAlcohol.pdf.
attitude or severe depression. Some students have close relationships with their parents and want or need to spend time with their parents. A student with a bad attitude or severe depression cannot learn well and perform well in class. Not being able to learn well will not bring an already low education level up.
This means that over a span of five months, students cannot exceed a ten day absence. Mental health can cause students to overthink and overanalyze situations at any moment throughout the day. If a student with depression has an episode, they can become numb, which makes it harder to attend school (Sack). Most schools around the world focus on physical health more than they show concern about how their students are doing mentally. If a student with any mental disorder needs longer than ten days a semester, they need to seek their doctors approval for a chronic illness form. This states that a student officially has a disorder, and they can now exceed the ten day absence but can not exceed twenty absences in school.