by Neha Dania, University Student
I still remember my heart instantly dropping when I heard my mother was in the hospital. The Organic Chemistry homework I was working on suddenly felt like the least important thing in the world, and all that I wanted to do was hop on a flight and go home to my mom.
Knowing that the woman who gave birth to you is about to have a life-threatening surgery is a feeling that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Phone calls and facetime were not enough to take away the pain and stress. Every thought in my brain circled back to my mom and all the what-ifs.
A few weeks later, I was playing a tennis match for the school team
The score was close and suddenly I felt a stabbing in my chest, and my lungs closing up. I thought I was dying.
Several panic attacks later, I realized really how much of a toll the stress and anxiety of my mom’s condition was taking on my mental health. My academic performance declined as I was unable to focus on assignments. I was crying every day, numb to life, and had never felt so alone.
The worst part was that my professors did not have the empathy I needed and I was therefore felt forced to take antidepressants, before even trying nonprescription resolutions. There is a certain stigma associated with mental health.
Going through something debilitating can be incredibly frustrating, especially when peers and professors don’t understand. I didn’t expect everyone to grasp the weight of my mother’s hospitalization, but it’s the reason I had to take a leave of absence for an entire semester of college.
College is a pivotal time when students need support from their school, not judgment or shame for feeling unmotivated during a challenging time. Too often, when someone is struggling with their mental health, they’re blamed for not being able to “control their emotions.” Students who are struggling would likely feel more supported if they knew their peers were experiencing similar challenges.
Creating a community of individuals who can relate fosters connection, resilience, and strength. When schools offer mental health support, students feel understood and supported, leading to better overall mental health.
Addressing these concerns on campus and allowing days to relax, and find support helps normalize mental health concerns, rather than look down on them–concerns that are still looked at as shameful.
There are many things schools can do to support student mental health
To start with, schools can educate their staff. If staff and schools model and advocate for students and their mental health. If they did, students would feel more obliged to figure out how to balance school work and personal adversity.
Studies have shown mental health is directly associated with physical health.
And it’s clear that students with better mental health are more likely to enjoy better physical health, resulting in fewer illnesses and injuries.
If a student is stressed or has a heavy workload, they won’t be able to get sufficient sleep or eat well, which can lead to a weakened immune system and higher costs for such as clinic visits, doctors and so on. So not only is it the right thing to do, it is the most cost-efficient way to reduce these stressors that can add to the decrease in one’s mental health.
Oftentimes high stress levels can lead to burnout, which can contribute to negative behaviors. Burnout can be seen in physical symptoms, verbal outbursts, and/or emotional crashes and can be due to negative having built up over time.
Mental health days help stressed students recuperate
Mental health days can encourage a student to be more positively involved with activities at school, such as joining clubs, or even just focusing when they are in their classes.
If mental health struggles are not taken seriously, then someone can be at risk for more chronic issues, such as anxiety and depression. Many times, these conditions are diagnosed as long-term conditions, and controlled with the use of prescription drugs, such as SSRIs.
While these can be lifesaving medications for some, for others they can cause long-term side effects more debilitating than the original concern, such as SSRI-induced mania. Providing students with mental health days and opportunities to learn self-care strategies and coping skills can help them manage stress more effectively, potentially reducing the need for medication. Schools that focus on and support mental health initiatives will gain the respect and trust of students if they provide resources such as peer support networks and education.
My mother ended up having a spinal tumor which created so many hardships for me and my family. Mental health struggles due to unforeseen circumstances should not be taken lightly, and I am hopeful that we can normalize the stigma that is associated with mental health and that students get more support for adverse events and don’t feel so alone.
Citations & Sources:
1. Frederick Health. “The Connection between Mental and Physical Health.” Frederick Health, 8 Oct. 2021
2. CJ;, Goldberg JF;Truman. “Antidepressant-Induced Mania: An Overview of Current Controversies.” Bipolar Disorders, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
3. “Nervous Breakdown (Mental Health Crisis).” Cleveland Clinic, 24 Jan. 2025
I completely agree that colleges need to prioritize empathy over strict academic penalties. It is incredibly isolating to face a mental health crisis while trying to keep up with coursework, and the pressure to perform can actually worsen the situation.