Almost everyone that is reading this right now has probably dealt an immense amount of stress caused by school. I mean we get assigned so much work and right when you think you are just about caught up; you get assigned even more work. It can also be tough trying to balance school with your personal life. This can really affect not only the physical health of students, but also mental health.  

Stress, especially in college students is at an all-time high. According to a research study done by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 50% of students suffer from anxiety caused by school, 50% reported that their mental health is below average or poor and 44% of college students have depressive symptoms, including suicidal thoughts.  

Some might argue that college should be stressful, because then you’ll be prepared for the real world. That’s true, some stress is good for you, but too much of anything is unhealthy, especially too much stress. School is not supposed to be completely stress free; however, student shouldn’t be stressed all the time. What can schools do to help their students? 

Well, they could offer mental health resources. Many colleges have mental health offices, where you can get more information as well as help for those with mental illnesses. Here at Penn State, we have Counseling and Psychological services (CAPS). They offer group counseling, individual counseling and will also help make sure you are not overloaded with work to the point where you are starting to struggle in school. We even get five free CAPS sessions.  

However, it’s sometimes difficult to make an appointment because of the high demand and shortage of employees. Also, after the five free sessions, you have to start paying, which some sadly cannot afford. But at least Penn State offers some mental health aid. 

Schools with less funding tend to have worse mental health resources. Public high schools especially have this problem, where an entire school of 400 students might have to rely on just one counselor. So, what can be done to provide better mental health services to students? 

Well, the government could increase in funding for schools, which in turn can go into mental health resources. However, that is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Another way to help is to educate people. Schools could teach their students to detect the common signs of mental illness, so it can be detected before it becomes a major problem.  

Another solution is to also teach students how to cope with stress early. Many are not used to the sudden increase in workload when they entire college. That coupled with the sudden change in environment and increase in responsibility can lead to disaster. So, if students are eased into it, then it will be easier for them to cope with.  

All in all, mental illness is a hot topic that will continue to be revisited. Hopefully getting help will be easier in the near future.