Taking charge of your mental health

The National Mental Illness Awareness Week began Sunday, Oct. 2. This occasion is an opportunity to check in with the resources available at Portland State, and to offer support to those who struggle with mental health issues.

According to the American Psychiatric Foundation, stress is closely linked to mental health issues. It can lead to anxiety, and it can exacerbate symptoms of mental illnesses.

Recent research conducted by the PF found that 50 percent of college students have been so stressed in the past year that they couldn’t get their schoolwork done.

When determining an unhealthy response to stress, Michele Veenker, a Portland State student and the project director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Clackamas County, advised students to look for changes in behavior at either end of the behavioral spectrum. Not sleeping or sleeping too much, loss or dramatic increase of appetite, becoming overly intro- or extroverted and sudden changes in grades are all common warning signs, she said.

Veenker said it is not uncommon for symptoms of illnesses like anxiety and bi-polar disorders to first appear between the ages of 18 and 24. She noted that many people don’t recognize the symptoms or know what to do; most will wait up to 10 years to seek treatment unless they are severely ill.

Fortunately for PSU students there are resources available on campus, and there are places to go for help. Through Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), part of the Center for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC), students who register for five or more credits per term have access to individual, group and crisis counseling, as well as testing and evaluation.

The center also has counselors available for walk-ins. The director of CAPS, Dr. Marcy Hunt-Morse, said that last year the center had more than 9,000 visits by students and saw a marked increase in student utilization of the center’s on-call/emergency walk-in service.

Hunt-Morse said that the organization is also working closely with other campus groups to raise awareness and “develop an ethos of caring.” Part of CAPS’s mission is to focus on prevention and outreach. The center conducts numerous trainings and workshops for faculty, mentors and resident advisors about how to offer support to students before they are in crisis. These community members are a vital aspect of reaching out to students because they are likely to be the first to see noticeable changes in behavior.

If a student is exhibiting signs that they are heading towards a crisis, the Office of Enrollment and Student Affairs also has a special response team Coordination, Assessment, Response and Education (C.A.R.E.) The team is a collaborative effort between several departments like SHAC, Residential Life and Public Safety. Hunt-Morse describes C.A.R.E. as a hub for students, faculty and staff to utilize as a resource for helping a distressed student.

Students with documented mental illnesses can also contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC). With proper documentation and diagnosis, the DRC will help students to navigate their academic experience successfully. Hunt-Morse notes that students with mental health issues can benefit from accommodations, but that they have to come forward. “They have to register with the DRC,” she said.

Elizabeth Nestlerode, a PSU graduate student and the director of Outreach and Education at NAMI of Clackamas County, spoke frankly about her own struggles as a student recovering from mental illness. She described it as a constant battle between the internal and external stigmas associated with mental illnesses.

Externally, Nestlerode struggled with disclosing her condition; she described it as “trying to explain to people the unexplainable.” Internally, at times, she felt as if she couldn’t “get a handle on things.” But Nestlerode also knew that there were things she wanted to accomplish, and this ultimately led her to treatment and recovery.

“It may feel like it’s so hard, but don’t cap your potential,” Nestlerode said, addressing her fellow PSU students. “Know that illness cannot be ignored. You have to choose recovery if things are going to work.”