One in three college freshmen display signs of coping with a mental health disorder.
With growing concern for college students diagnosed with depression or anxiety in America, students at Oklahoma Christian grapple with these staggering statistics every day.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 40 million U.S. adults suffer from an anxiety disorder, and 75% experience their first episode of anxiety by the age of 22.
An anonymous Oklahoma Christian student can attest to this statistic, as they had 1-2 anxiety attacks per week during their freshman year. This student coped with these attacks by sitting in their car alone and had a difficult time talking about their anxiety.
“My anxiety never goes away,” they said. “ People think, ‘Oh, you have anxiety today,’ but I have anxiety all of the time. Everybody can experience anxiety, it’s just that I can keep it low enough to mask it.”
The student also said their freshman year posed many difficulties as their anxiety and depression prevented them from easily meeting new people and engaging in social interaction.
“There were so many times freshman year where I wished people just noticed and talked to me and noticed that I wasn’t okay,” the student said. “We’re so wrapped up in our own lives that it is sort of hard to look over at someone who’s been sitting next to you all year in class, or at the Brew if you see someone sitting by themselves. It’s easy to think you don’t have time for that when you’re so busy in college.”
While the student said some faculty members helped through their encouragement, they believe more Oklahoma Christian students should pay attention to the person on the fringe.
“People need more support and less blame,” they said. “Less ‘You’re not getting your work done because you are lazy,’ or ‘You don’t have any friends because you’re not getting involved. Go get involved.’ It’s a lot harder than it seems for somebody who is struggling. Actually be there for people. Don’t just post about it on Instagram or talk about how you love people. Actually do it.”
Kaitlin Creel, resident director for UHouse, said there are always seasons where students’ mental health starts declining, but the timing happened a lot quicker this year than last. She wants students to know Oklahoma Christian provides a safe place for students to come and talk about their mental health.
“RAs and RDs are great avenues for students to talk to, [but] sometimes [we’re] the last person they want to talk to,” Creel said. “I want to make myself approachable so students can have these conversations. It’s a very personal and very delicate topic because it is so emotionally rooted with a lot of pain and a lot of hurt.”
With organizations like U!Shine and the counseling center, Oklahoma Christian students have access to resources for addressing their mental health. More than anything, Creel said she encourages students to focus on self-care and utilize the counseling center at Oklahoma Christian.
“Self-care isn’t a selfish thing, it’s a necessity,” Creel said. “Self-care is the most selfless thing you can do because [we are] our best for the kingdom for God and for ourselves when we are taking our time and being very intentional. When you stack your plate so tall, I think it is a matter of when everything is going to come crashing down.”
Another anonymous student said they have dealt with depression and anxiety since the age of seven and have since attempted to commit suicide. They take medication for their depression. While this student said they have experienced stigma in other spaces, they have not felt this kind of weight at Oklahoma Christian.
“As far as Oklahoma Christian’s campus goes, I’ve encountered a better situation than in the past,” they said. “I haven’t encountered a harsh stigma. It has been kind of frustrating to feel like I have to justify my actions all of the time [like] why I wasn’t getting work done or why was in a huge slump.”
Still, the student said this institution can never discuss mental health enough.
“Since more and more people are being open about it, its severity in how much it affects people is being downplayed even more,” they said. “Because it’s like, ‘Oh, so many people have it so clearly it’s not that big of a deal.’ Also, each experience is different.”
The student also notes a kind of spiritual shame attached to the mental health discussion. While the student says many Christians have good intentions, many are misguided in their comments.
“The intentions were usually good, but they didn’t realize that what they were saying was so harmful,” the student said. “‘God would not want you to feel like this,’ or ‘God doesn’t want you to do this to yourself.’ Most people, especially Christians who are going through depression and anxiety, they know that already.”
The anonymous student said they have one thing to say to those who are experiencing depression and anxiety in college—it does get better.
“It has been a long and difficult journey where I felt there were so many times that I might give up,” the student said. “I almost did give up and try to commit suicide because I thought it was hopeless. I felt that the world was against me and that nobody really wanted to help me. It was a very dark place that I have no desire to return to, but I did get out of it.”
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