Week 6

Caitlyn Minas
May 6, 2017
A03

Mental illnesses are real and mental wellness is essential for maintaining a balanced life, but what constitutes an illness has become so widespread that we cannot distinguish what is normal stress and what is true panic.  Since I began college, I would see many reminders on social media and on campus about "self-care".  While I do agree that college students nowadays have their own struggles compared to previous generations and are more susceptible to burnout, "Pathologizing Everyday Life" captures my skepticism.  Are we as university students complaining too often, or we have never been able to define what mental health really looks like – or lack of it?

I know someone who cried every night for eight weeks straight for no immediate reason during last winter quarter.  She was determined to raise her GPA after a rough fall quarter, but it turned out her constant worry did not help her do well in her classes.  Rather, her grades remained stagnant, and she believed that in order to fix her problem she needed to study harder and smarter.  She blamed her poor preparation in high school without truly forgiving herself for sacrificing social time and overall happiness, which she lost after she began college.  It was not until the following year when she visited a counselor for possible depression or anxiety.  During the quarter she finally sought professional help, she got on academic probation, but she is finally happier, getting more involved in her community, and getting good grades.  So what really causes mental illness?  I would say, in general, it is the environment in which we as college students choose to place ourselves and those with whom we surround ourselves.

Q:  Do you think some people who come forward with mental illnesses do not taken seriously because they describe conditions that seem normal?

Blacksberg, M.  (2016, October 10).  Mental Health Is Just as Important as Physical Health :  Here's Why.  Retrieved from http://www.empowher.com/mental-health/content/mental-health-just-important-physical-health-heres-why?page=0,2