That makes this a good time for Mental Health Wellness Week, which occurs Nov. 16-22. Founded by national non-profit Freedom From Fear, the campaign is meant to educate communities on how to implement mental health strategies into their lives and to facilitate programs centered on mental health, according to the Mental Health Wellness Week’s website.
Mental health is how people think, act and cope with life and the stressors and challenges that come with experiences, according to the website.
In a report from the National College Health Assessment last spring, out of almost 78,000 college students surveyed, 43.7 percent have experienced higher than average stress within the last month of classes.
Also, 60 percent of those students said they have received information from their college or university about stress, according to the survey.
Ben Klein, a clinical psychologist at the Student Health and Counseling center, said more information must be provided to the public on how common mental illness actually is in order to reduce the stigma surrounding it.
“Mental illness is on the increase in advanced societies at large, or at least in the United States, and so it is on campuses as well,” Klein said.
Mental illness can be the result of school-related stress and the harmful coping mechanisms that students may turn to such as substance abuse or simple procrastination, he said.
The SHAC provides workshops, screening visits and counseling services as well as psychiatric medication and referral services for more serious problems.
In accordance with Mental Health Wellness Week, the Agora Crisis Center is hosting “Call Agora Days” on Dec. 1-12.
Jeremy Jaramillo, associate director at Agora, said the event is anti-stigma and is focused on erasing the idea that reaching out for help in times of stress is something students shouldn’t be ashamed of. Also, the event will teach students about the resources available to them.
“We’re not clinicians, we don’t give advice, but we try to help people understand what is causing them stress or grief, and then we find out their past coping mechanisms,” Jaramillo said. “Other times, we’re going to help people research things to do or talk them through it and clear that emotional fog.”
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Eddie Vigil, outreach coordinator for Agora at UNM, said there have been many cases of callers seeking help due to school-related stress. Academic stress can be seen as a gateway to serious problems when compounded by other stresses within one’s life.
“Even if students aren’t that stressed out about finals, Call Agora Days will hopefully let students get a feel for what it’s like to call or chat with us,” she said. “Come finals week, if they’re thinking, ‘wow, I’m really stressed,’ they’ll have our number and our website and feel comfortable talking to us about it.”
Alonso Arana, a freshman in biology, said much of the stress associated with attending UNM stems from the possibility that not getting good grades could mean not being able to continue with his college career due to scholarships.
Having to worry about final exams, tuition and registration simultaneously is also a lot of weight on a student’s shoulders, he said.
“I think that more information should be given out to students on where they can receive free counseling sessions because it can help for someone to listen to you,” Arana said. “Whether it be academic problems or problems with significant others, your stress can be relieved.”
Ana Jayme is a freelance reporter and Lauren Marvin is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. They can be reached at culture @dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
