College Life inside the Box
Mom and dad have shown up on the first day of school all smiles for Freshman Week. Happily completed all the necessary forms during intake and orientation. Walked side by side on the campus tour and gladly administered that embarrassing kiss. And as orientation comes to a close, parents get into their car ready to take the return trip home and anxiety sets in. The knowledge of knowing that from this point on the student is on their own begins to threaten the parent role.
Before long, they will need to coordinate schedules, register for classes, figure-out work study, and choose an organization to affiliate with. In a short while, they will be learning to juggle the campus environment, joining study groups to help with homework, earn and keep up their grades and make new friends. What happens when they can’ t?
According to continuing research, poor health factors, which include lack of proper nutrition, irregular or inappropriate sleep patterns, lack of sufficient exercise and stress, are the leading causes of depression among college students( Kerr). The pull to engage in risky behaviors such as binge drinking, illegal and prescription substance abuse and unsafe sexual practices also contributes greatly to a student’ s depression. Parents are no longer there to hold the students hand or to ask how their day went. This lack of communication and interaction leaves the majority of college students to go undiagnosed and untreated for depression, which in some cases leads to suicide. Not only does the act of suicide take the life of the young gifted, talented student, it also takes the legacy of the family, leaving in its wake the devastation of being unaware.
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that in the United States, 8.3 percent of students aged 18 – 25 have thought about suicide, with suicide being the second leading cause of death for students between the ages of 15 – 34. Despite the fact that the majority of college campuses have adopted the“ I don’ t want to talk about it” culture, there is also a social stigma associated with seeking professional help. College students are extremely hesitant to speak with a professional and are even more so reluctant to speak with their parents. Cicely Evans, a licensed professional counselor at Southern University at Baton Rouge states,“ The hardest part is getting students through the door. Many are afraid of the stigma attached to mental health treatment. Students do not want to be labeled as crazy or weak”( Neally).
As parents, it is still our responsibility to ensure that our children remain safe and unharmed. But how do we do that when they are so far away( at college)?
New Friends. New Community
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