I’ve suffered from seasonal depression most of my life. For me, it starts after the excitement of December celebrations passes into January and the cold doesn’t seem as magical as it once did. That is why this semester has been particularly difficult for my mental health, despite being halfway in. I blame part of it on my rigorous class and work schedule, and part of it on my severe Vitamin D deficiency.
As I have gotten older, I have been able to catch glimpses of the silver lining. The emotional turmoil I have to endure is only confined to a specific season, unlike the relentlessness of year-round depression others are forced to endure. This realization does not diminish the validity of my own struggles, but it does help me find solace in knowing that my challenges are merely temporary. This relief is often elusive to people who struggle more consistently with depression, especially students. Given this, the University of Michigan needs to improve its advocacy for mental health awareness and providing accessible services to students.
After researching how the University provides resources for those navigating mental health obstacles, I came across the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, which provides information and care for students struggling with their mental health. Although they work tirelessly to harbor a safe and welcoming environment for students on campus, CAPS has continuously cried out to the University’s administration for change, as insufficient funding limits their capacity to provide support for students.
As a multitude of requests for competitive salaries remain unanswered by administration, the University’s lack of reception to a relentless crisis makes it abundantly clear that the emotional well-being of its students is not a top priority.
This indifference to an ever-evolving issue is dangerous in front of the facts: Depression and suicide rates are increasing at an alarming rate, and they don’t look to be slowing down any time soon. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, self-harm death rates are at the highest they’ve ever been — and this is especially true among students.
Given this recent surge, it is crucial for the University to enhance accessibility to mental health services. While the University does host events for students to unwind and provides mental health resources, I was only able to find about them through the few professors who provided information on their syllabi at the beginning of the semester, most of which are not referenced again. But students who are struggling may lack either the energy or the interest to find help on their own. They may also internalize negative stigma surrounding mental health, deterring them from reaching out for help. These resources and events should be made readily available around campus, thus normalizing mental health awareness.
This information needs to be in front of us at all times, relentlessly pushed — the same way mental health issues persistently affect students. Wolverine Support Network is a student organization on campus that strives to do just that: break the stigma surrounding mental health and promote resources and peer-led support groups that work to embrace their motto, “Because Life Happens.”
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Engineering senior Sarah Skaggs, WSN executive director, addressed the ways in which the University might better support students across campus.
“From the University, we would ask for them to continue putting emphasis and resources toward improving student well-being in a timely manner,” Skaggs said.
Building a support system of students on campus who are experiencing similar struggles would be extremely beneficial. Yet, it seems as though these kinds of student-run networks are taking the job of advocacy more seriously than the University ever has. The University needs to recognize and place a higher importance on their responsibility of providing a more comprehensive, inclusive support system as well as resources for its student body.
The mental health crisis is not unique to the University of Michigan, with universities across the country struggling as well. The University of California system, however, has already taken steps toward reform. The UC system has launched many different campaigns — “Each Mind Matters,” “Know the Signs” and “#SaySomething,” to name a few — that work to harbor a safe environment for students. These approaches to mental health awareness reduce the stigma and normalize getting help as a positive thing rather than an admission of weakness. As these approaches continue to evolve, it is almost comical that the University has yet to dedicate time to mental health awareness as they continue to face backlash time and again for their mental health initiatives, or lack thereof.
Making mental health resources “accessible” requires more than Student Life sending weekly emails about “unwinding” activities at the recreational buildings or brief periods of group counseling CAPS offers weekly. Accessibility means affordability, physical usability and cultural competence — all things that have been severely neglected. As our society adapts, so do our forms of treatment. The University should use its resources to launch new, innovative mental health initiatives, such as apps that provide virtual assistance and counseling, events with service animals and mental health first aid training.
This kind of training is especially imperative for students as they embark on new academic journeys. The Community Matters curriculum is an online course required for all U-M students that discusses the topics of substance abuse, sexual assault and overall well-being. But anyone who has actually taken the course knows that “well-being” is tacked on to the end, and only briefly discussed with lists of resources. Even though the initiative is there, it is not enough.
Community Matters has the exact platform needed to provide students with information on how to help themselves or others. These modules should include training on how to recognize signs of mental health issues, how to offer support to others and ultimately break down the stigma in order for an individual to feel comfortable getting help for themselves. They could look like interactive workshops that focus on awareness, positivity, empathy and effective communication as ways to optimize support. By using real-life scenarios within the training, Community Matters would be able to better engage students and promote an inclusive environment that prioritizes accessible support.
Mental health for people everywhere, especially our community here in Ann Arbor, is important, and we need to work together to break the stigma surrounding it. To the University’s administration: Your students are crying out for change — this should be the semester you finally listen.
Angelina Akouri is an Opinion Columnist studying English and Political Science. She writes about the influence of pop culture on students. She can be reached at akouria@umich.edu.