Research Summaries

1.
- Gross, Terry. “College Students (And Their Parents) Face A Campus Mental
Health 'Epidemic'.” NPR, NPR, 28 May 2019,
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/05/28/727509438/college-students-and-th
eir-parents-face-a-campus-mental-health-epidemic​.

- National Public Radio (NPR) is an American non-profit membership media

organization that is based in Washington D.C. NPR’s mission statement is to create a
more informed public by producing and distributing news and cultural programming.
Terry Gross, the author of this particular article, has been with the radio show Fresh for
over 44 years where she has interviewed thousands of guests.

- In “College Students (And Their Parents) Face A Campus Mental Health

‘Epidemic’”, Gross goes into many topics on mental health in college but gives it a twist
to focus more on the parents role in all of this. Some topics he covers are, why college
students today are more stressed than the generations that came before them, how high
tuition is contributing to stress, why some students have trouble adjusting to college, the
cost of pushing students too hard, why students don't use counseling services, and how
parents can help their children with mental illness. Gross interviews Rostain, a professor
of psychiatry and pediatrics and Hibbs, a psychotherapist.

Rostain observes that students in the post 9/11 era have experienced many more truamas
than generations before them. From school shootings to globalization to recessions
today's students have been through a lot. Hibbs complains that parents today don’t give
their children a chance to fail and learn from their mistakes, they will take nothing less
than success which might hinder their children in the long run. Rostain and Gibbs both
agree that students have more than enough preparation in the academic aspects of college,
but they are clueless when it comes to independence. This can cause problems in
financial aspects and the adjustment to college from high school. Rostain also urges
parents to not be so keen on repeated success in their child because the real learning and
growth comes from failing and making mistakes. Then the two move into why students
don’t use counseling services provided at schools. Many students get into the mindset
that they can solve their illness by themselves or that their illness isn’t that serious so they
don’t need help when in reality, sometimes they can’t do it alone. In the end, they make it
clear that parents need to let go in order for their children to flourish and grow.
 - This article focuses more on the parents' role in their child's mental illnesses and
their success in college rather than focusing on the students or universities role. The
article doesn’t directly agree or disagree with these two roles being a factor of success in
school but they do reference both of these in the article so they must agree with them on
some level. They reference the reaching out that student’s need to do and the counseling
services that many institutions in higher education have.

- "When a child, for whatever reason, is hopeless or verging on that, families are
incredibly, vitally important in maintaining hope. ... Having the emotional expression of
the family convey warmth, support, unconditional support, not judgment, that ... is one of
the best medicines." (P4)
“So we see especially very smart kids, which some researchers call brainiacs, they
have what we call "destructive perfectionism"; they cannot tolerate ​not e​ xcelling at
everything.” (P6)
“I have seen too often is [students] waiting too long to acknowledge and in a way
staying in that state of denial. Not because you're deliberately doing so, but because you
really don't want to have to face maybe having to take care of this.” (P13)

- I think that this is a very interesting side of this topic that I actually haven’t seen
before. Many other articles would have talked about the student or the university but this
one took a different path to look at the parents. I agree that some parents make it so hard
for their children to accept making mistakes, but I also think that society has something to
do here as well, not just the parents. We have always been taught in school to get the best
grades and that low grades were disgraceful, we were never told or realized that failing is
actually what makes us grow. I also would like to touch on the subject of why students
don’t go to counseling services when they have a chance. I think Rostain gave a good
point that many students think they can get over a mental illness themselves or they think
their problem isn’t worth going to talk to someone. I also think there is an element of
shame when it comes to seeking help and I want to dig more into this as well.

2.
- Dannels, Deanna p, and Kyle Rudick. “Yes, and ... : Continuing the Scholarly
Conversation about Mental Health Stigma in Higher Education.” ​Taylor & Francis,​ 21
May 2018,
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03634523.2018.1467563?scroll=top&needAccess
=true​.

- Taylor & Francis is an international company from England that publishes books
and academic journals. They write on many topics such as the humanities, social
sciences, behavioural sciences, science, technology, and medicine sectors. They publish
works such as scholarly journals, books, eBooks, textbooks, and reference works.

- Dannels goes into the stigma of mental health and how teachers are on the front
line of this issue. She starts with daunting words that she has experienced in her life said
by teachers who don’t think they have a place in students mental health issues, “Yeah
but... it really isn’t my job to counsel students who have issues...” Some things Dannel
covers are various statistics, teachers roles in students mental health, counseling centers,
and the relation between stigma and treatment. Dannel also includes a description of a
course at the University of Illinois that is aimed to address mental health and stigma in
colleges.

Dannels includes various statistics from her experiences and on a national scale.
At her institution, there has been a 34 percent increase in demand for counseling services
in just the past five years, there has been a 10 percent increase in students who presented
to the counseling services thoughts of suicide, and a student shared that she would rather
sit in silence than tell her advisor her mental state out of fear of being seen as weak. On
national levels, she observes things like how 55 percent of students stated they have been
diagnosed or treated by a professional for a mental illness while they were in college, 52
percent of students who sought treatment for their mental health were diagnosed with
severe psychological illness, and 94 percent of center directors reported an increase in
services addressing certain mental disorders in the past five years. She also observes how
students are using rapid access resources like a sucicide intervention rather than long
term counseling. Although many students are taking the right steps towards treatment,
Dannels emphasizes on the students who are not. She includes a study that shows
students reasons for not reaching out for help, most students said, “no one can understand
my problem” and that they worry about what others think. With all of the numbers on the
table, Dannels goes to urge teachers and faculty to see this as their problem and job as an
instructor. She hits right at home for instructors with this statistic, 64 percent of students
who drop out say that mental illness was the reason for their withdrawal. She then
presents a solution and advocates for better instructional practices and also advancing
disciplinary knowledge about identifying and addressing mental health and the stigma
around it. She then supplements this idea with an introductory communication class at
Illinois State University where there is information on different disorders and
communication strategies that instructors can use when put in situations where mental
illness is the main topic. The course also urges instructors to discuss mental illness in
class while using teaching tools like self reflection to supplement.
 - This voice neither agrees or disagrees with my previous searches. They just
merely discuss different areas of the subject. One discusses the parents role while this
article discusses the teachers role. Although they are different, they both agree that
mental illness is a problem in higher education and they are both finding the problems
and conjuring up solutions for them.

- “Yeah, but … it really isn't my job to counsel students who have issues …”

“Lives are at stake. And we, as teachers, are often the front line. Period.”

“Although instructors in higher education are not trained as counselors, nor

should they diagnose students, there is certainly a need for pedagogical and relational
interventions.”

- Although mental illness has increasingly been less taboo to discuss, it still very
much has a stigma attached to it. With my own experience, I can very much relate to
what the students said in this article that no one understands their problems and that they
worry about what others think. I have been in a situation where I very much needed some
help, but I thought I was a single case and that I would be laughed at if I announced that I
needed help. I like the perspective that the teachers are at the front line of this situation,
they could be that push to get students to reach out for help. I feel like being an instructor
is not just a job to teach, it is also a job that requires you to look out for your students and
their well being because that could be a reason they aren’t excelling in class, and overall,
it would be down right cold to not care about the well being of your students. Being a
student, I think I would be a lot more comfortable speaking with my professor about my
mental state then it would to go to a professional. There is a relationship between student
and teacher and also a great source when you are stuck in that stigma around mental
health.

3. - Alina Tugend. "Colleges Get Proactive in Addressing Depression on Campus;

Learning Resilience". ​The New York Times , ​June 7, 2017 Wednesday.
https://advance-lexis-com.proxy4.athensams.net/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:
contentItem:5NR8-2771-JBG3-6061-00000-00&context=1516831​. Accessed October 2,
2019.

- The New York Times is an American Newspaper based in New York City but has
made an influence all over the world. The writer, Alina Tugend, is an American
journalist, speaker, and writer. She has written for dozens of journals and newspapers,
some being The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, and Chronicle of
Higher Education.
- Tugend dives into the university's role in students mental health in this article.
First she builds the stage by giving statistics on students mental health in college to show
how urgent this problem is. The U.C.L.A. Higher Education Research Institute conducts
an annual freshman survey and their results this year were astonishing. 11.9 percent of
students said they felt frequently depressed in the past year, a record high. Only 13.9
percent of students who took the survey said they would seek personal counseling in
college. The Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Penn State found the most gut
retching results, 26 percent of students in the 2015-2016 school year had purposefully
injured themselves, a 4.2% rise from just five years before. 33.2 percent said they had
seriously considered attempting suicide, a 9.4% increase from five years before. Tugend
also brings in the fact that many students have been raised by parents that ensure their
children never come face to face with failure or obstacles which leaves them with very
little to no coping skills. She then goes into the university and how they are working very
hard to understand students mental health and how to help.

Four higher education institutions are determined to make a difference in

psychological programs at colleges and universities. Duke, Davidson, Johnson C. Smith
University, and Furman University are working on a five year project that follows the
class of 2018 throughout their college experience. The project consists of surveys, four
which are taken their freshman year and twice a year after that. This project is aimed to
help universities know exactly what they should do or make changes to to help their
students thrive. As an example, at Furman University, they found that a lot of students
experienced a loss in their young lives, so in response they started a six-week grief group
to help these students cope. Davidson incorporated art carts and therapy dogs to try and
help students lower anxiety levels before exams. Some other findings Tugend shared was
that of the U.C.L.A Depression Grand Challenge which touched on teachers roles and
how they are in a constant balancing act between teaching and accommodating students.
Teachers need to make sure students don’t slip through the cracks while at the same time,
not lowering the expectation of work, it can be challenging. Finally, Rutgers University
has incorporated a recovery house, the first in the nation, where students with drug or
alcohol addictions can go for help.

- This article touches on a lot of subjects that were in my past readings. The
concept that parents try and hide their kids from failure, which hinders them in the long
run was mentioned. There was a little bashing between ideas as well when talking about
the teachers role. In the article about the stigma of mental illness, it says that teachers are
on the front lines and they need to accommodate to their students. In this article it also
 goes into how teachers need to accommodate, but without lowering the expectation of
work.

- “It is not new that the number of college students who say they are facing mental-
and emotional-health troubles has been steadily growing. What is new is that colleges and
universities are increasingly focused on trying to understand, through rigorous research,
what interventions work best and for the broadest swath of students.”

“In the past, many of the students on campuses today “would have been weeded
out before they got to college,” Dr. Moneta said. “Therapies and treatments have enabled
kids who have never been to college to be there. Once there, it’s about maintaining their
ability to stay.””
“Where once, for example, she may simply have been annoyed if someone fell
asleep in class, now she checks in to find out if it’s because of late-night partying or
something more worrisome.”

- This source brings the institutions matter in the subject and brings a lot of good
studies and research. I will definitely be using the study that the four colleges are working
on with following the students through their college experience with surveys. I think the
surveys are a great way to help the most people and find out exactly what the students
need rather than putting generic help out.

4. - “How Does Mental Illness Affect My School Performance? – Center for

Psychiatric Rehabilitation.” ​Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation​,
cpr.bu.edu/resources/reasonable-accommodations/jobschool/how-does-mental-illness-aff
ect-my-school-performance/.

- The Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation is a research ,

training, and service organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with
psychiatric disabilities.

- This article dives into the effects of mental illness on school performance. The
author makes it clear that everyone is different, which means that a mental illness can
majorly affect ones academic performance, while it can have no impact on others. Also,
all mental illnesses are different which means some could have different limitations and
some could be easier or harder to deal with. The writer goes into seven limitations that
are most common for students with mental illnesses. These limitations include: inability
to screen out environmental stimuli, inability to concentrate, lack of stamina, difficulty
handling time pressures and multiple tasks, difficulty interacting with others, difficulty
handling negative feedback, and difficulty responding to change.

The writer gives many examples to each of these limitations to give the reader a
better understanding and a mental picture and also gives strategies to combat the
difficulties. Inability to screen out environmental stimuli can lead to students having a
hard time paying attention in class, the writer suggests moving away from the distraction
or eliminating the distraction if possible. Inability to concentrate can lead students to have
a short attention span, be easily distracted, or having a hard time remembering verbal
instructions. The writer suggests to break larger projects into smaller tasks, take frequent
breaks, or ask someone for help with study skills. Lack of stamina can lead to a student
not having enough energy to walk around campus, carry a full course load, or take a long
exam. Some suggestions are to enroll as a part-time student, schedule classes during high
energy periods, and ask to take exams in sections. Difficulty handling time pressures and
multiple tasks can lead to students having trouble managing assignments, setting
priorities, or meeting deadlines. Suggestions include, breaking larger assignments into
smaller tasks, ask for a course syllabus, assignments, and due dates. Difficulty interacting
with others makes it harder to talk to other students, get notes or discuss assignments,
participate in class, and make friends. The writer includes suggestions like finding a
mentor to introduce you to new people and show you around. Difficulty handling
feedback can lead to students having a hard time interpreting and understanding criticism.
The writer suggests talking with your professor, ask for extra credit, or meet with a
counselor. Finally, difficulty responding to change can lead to students' stress levels
rising in response to things such as a change in due dates. The writer suggests asking
your professor to give a heads up on any changes being made, and ask your counselor to
tell your professor your specific needs.

- Most of the other articles I have read did not go into the effects of mental illness
on academic performance. Some did go into the fact that a lot of times, the reason for a
student withdrawal from school is their mental state, but none really dug deep like this
article did.

- “ You may not know how to decide which assignments to do first, or how to
complete assignments by the due date.”

“You may get defensive when someone tells you your work isn’t up to standards.
It’s hard for you to figure out what to do to improve. You might want to withdraw from
class or even drop out of school because of a poor grade.”
 “Mental illnesses may interfere with your ability to function at school, or they
may have no effect at all.”

- I like this article because it really goes along with my question of, “How can
mental illness affect the end result of higher education in students?” Although it doesn’t
go into the end result, it still goes into the hardships students with a mental illness can
experience in school and also ways to cope. This just gives a glimpse of the struggles
students with mental illness have to deal with.

5. - Pombo, Emmie. “Self-Help Techniques For Coping With Mental Illness.” ​NAMI,​
1 Feb. 2019,
www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/January-2019/Self-Help-Techniques-for-Coping-with-
Mental-Illnes.

- The National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) is an American based advocacy

group. Their mission statement is, “being dedicated to building better lives for the
millions of Americans affected by mental illness.” The writer, Emmie Pombo is actually
a student who is determined to crush the stigma around mental illness and addiction.

- Pombo starts with saying treatments like psychotherapy and medication can be
very helpful, but self-help techniques can improve your mental health every day. She
agrees that meditation and exercise can be great self-help techniques, but there are so
many more that people don’t implement as much as these ones. Incorporating techniques
like radical acceptance, deep breathing, opposite-to-emotion thinking, the five senses,
mental reframing, and emotion awareness.

Pombo defines radical acceptance as “completely and totally accepting something

from the depths of your soul, with your heart and your mind.” She urges those with
mental illness to not run away from the problem, but to accept yourself, accept your
condition, then take the necessary steps to take care of yourself. She also advises doing
“5 3 7 breathing”. Breathe for five seconds, hold your breath for three seconds, and
breathe out for seven seconds. This type of breathing sends a message to your brain that
everything is okay. Opposite-to-emotion thinking is acting in the opposite way that your
emotions tell you to act. She does warn that this is the hardest technique, but the outcome
is incredible. The five senses technique grounds you back to earth. Running through the
five senses will keep you focused on what is real and what is happening right now.
Pambo claims this is a very helpful technique for PTSD. Mental reframing is thinking of
a stressor or emotion and thinking of it in a different perspective, most often, in a more
optimistic perspective. Finally, emotion awareness. Pambo urges people to be in touch
 with their emotions by accepting that they are feeling a certain way, letting themselves
feel that way, and then taking action to diminish unhealthy feelings.

- This article goes a different direction than the other articles by dealing with things
a person can do for themselves rather than what others can do for them. Obviously you
need outside help, but helping yourself can also bring so much healing.

- “You cannot change the fact that you have a mental illness, so any time you spend
trying to “get rid of it” or pretend it doesn’t exist is only draining you of valuable energy.
Accept yourself. Accept your condition. Then take the necessary steps to take care of
yourself.”

“If you live in denial of your emotions, it will take far longer to take care of them,
because once we recognize what we’re feeling, we can tackle it or whatever is causing
it.”

“You can’t control that you have mental illness, but you can control how you
respond to your symptoms.”

- I think this goes great with my other research in that it is very different from the
other sources, but there is a connection between them. One of my sources talks about
stigma and how many students don’t get the help that they need because of it. This article
is a great way to start a recovery from mental illness by helping yourself first. Getting
professional help is also essential on the road to recovery but if there are obstacles in the
road, this can be a great option, or if you just want to supplement treatment with this that
can be great as well.

6. - Greenstein, Luna. “Understanding What Causes Stigma.” ​NAMI​, 28 Dec. 2016,

www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/December-2016/Understanding-What-Causes-Stigma.

- The National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) is an American based advocacy

group. Their mission statement is, “being dedicated to building better lives for the
millions of Americans affected by mental illness.” The writer, Luna Greenstein is
currently the NAMI blog manager. She describes herself as a passionate writer with a
personal mission of raising mental health awareness.

- Greenstein goes a different route on stigma in this article than usual. She observes
how there is always the discussion of the problem of stigma around mental illness and
how it impacts the victims, but she dives into exactly why there even is a stigma around
it. She describes this as, “the foundation stigma roots itself in.” She goes into five
components that could be the culprits of stigma, responsibility, uncertainty,
unpredictability, incompetence, and dangerousness.

Greenstein is saddened by the fact that most people hold ones with mental
illnesses responsible for their conditions, they are to blame for their symptoms. Some
mental illnesses are deemed as uncertain which means that it is unlikely to be improved.
If a person is diagnosed with an uncertain condition, family and friends may steer away
as they see them as a waste of time. Unpredictability deals with the short-term
consequences of a mental illness. Some may perceive others as unpredictable and erratic
due to their symptoms. This can cause people to separate from the ill person and distance
themselves. Greenstein is taken aback by the fact that people see others living with
mental illnesses as incompetent to make rational decisions. This is what leads to
stigmatizing laws like prohibiting people with a mental illness from having the same
rights and opportunities as others. Finally, many people think those with a mental illness
are dangerous and will commit random acts of violence. Greenstein makes it clear that
most of the time, the complete opposite is true, the mentally ill are people just like the
rest of us.

- This article bounces off of the earlier article about stigma. One doesn’t shut the
other down or vice versa, but they do make it clear that they are interested in different
areas of stigma. Knowing both sides is beneficial because we see why people act a certain
way towards people with mental illness, and how the ones with the mental illnesses cope
with the stigma.

- “But the truth is, we all know someone like Alan. And more often than not, he’s
not ​dangerous or unpredictable or incompetent or hopeless. He’s just Alan.”

“When people believe that an individual has a choice in this matter—that they are
in control of their mental illness, they are then blamed for their symptoms.”

“This is what leads to stigmatizing laws and practices that prohibit individuals
living with mental illness from having ​the same rights and opportunities​ as other
people—such as the right to hold office, the right to vote, the right to serve on a jury,
etc.”

“Alan needs people to see ​him,​ not his ​condition​.”

- This article gives another perspective on mental illness from the other side. Many
of the articles I have been finding have really been on the side of the ones with a mental
illness. This article gives an aerial view and shows the other side. It is important to know
 why the stigma is there, not just how it affects others. When you know the source of the
problem, it is easier to fix it.

7. - Walton, Alice G. “Why More Americans Suffer From Mental Disorders Than
Anyone Else.” ​The Atlantic​, Atlantic Media Company, 3 Oct. 2011,
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/10/why-more-americans-suffer-from-m
ental-disorders-than-anyone-else/246035/.

- The Atlantic is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. The website

provides daily coverage and analysis of breaking news, politics and international affairs,
education, technology, health, science, and culture. Alice G. Walton, the writer of the
article, is a journalist and academic writer who specializes in health science and
psychology.

- Walton starts by emphasizing that the mental health issue in the United States is
no secret, there are all sorts of psychological disorders and nothing is bringing them
down, not even the increasingly advanced treatments. She goes to say that even though
more people are seeking treatment, rates have barely moved. She then leaves the stage for
The World Health Organization (WHO) which has studied and observed mental health
rates throughout the world. WHO goes into mental health disorders in the U.S.,
prevalence of disorders across the globe, the luxury of depression, relativity of mental
illness, cultural reluctance to fess up, global suicide prevalence, and treatment rates of
disorders.

WHO first goes into mental health disorders in the U.S. and makes an astonishing
statement, The United States is the country with the highest prevalence of mental illness.
Over a 12 month period, 27 percent of adults in the U.S. will experience some sort of
mental illness and Americans have a 47.4 percent chance of having any kind of mental
health disorder in their lifetime. Mood disorders are the most prevalent in the U.S.,
disorders like depression, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder. 9.7 percent of adults
will suffer from these illnesses in the course of a year and 21.4 percent will be affected
over the course of their lifetime. After the U.S. Ukraine, Colombia, New Zealand,
Lebanon, and France have the next highest rates of mental health disorders. Japan, the
People’s Republic of China, Nigeria, and Israel have the lowest rates. Ron Kessler, Ph.D,
observes that by and large people in less developed countries are less depressed. He says
this is because there is no room for depression when you are trying to survive. On the
other hand, Americans live fairly comfortable lives, yet have such a skyrocketing number
of people suffering from depression. This leads some to suggest that depression is a
“luxury disorder.” Kessler also dives into the relativity of mental illness, he claims that
people who compare themselves to others who have more than them, there is more
 depression. WHO came across quite a problem on their studies in other countries, some
groups were unwilling to talk about their mental health. In some parts of Asia and in less
developed countries, mental health issues are still a taboo subject. Next, WHO
approaches the topic of suicide. It is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. and the
14th worldwide. Eastern Europe, Russia, and Japan have the highest rates of suicide
while Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Israel have the lowest rates. Finally, WHO
moves onto treatment. In the U.S., only 41.1 percent of those with mental health
disorders receive treatment. Kessler hints this is because of the cost of treatment. It is not
the lowest socioeconomic group that can’t get treatment it is the second lowest. This is
because the lowest group has health care like medicaid at their disposal while those who
are a little higher are left to fend for themselves with still a small amount of money. In
other parts of the world, treatment is highly correlated with how developed the country is
and how advanced their healthcare system is.

- This source is focused on a different area than my other sources but they do have
some similarities. Some of my other sources have also gone into suicide, stigma, and the
low rates of treatment.

- “Over a 12-month period, 27 percent of adults in the U.S. will experience some
sort of mental health disorder, making the U.S. the country with the highest prevalence.”

“some to suggest that depression is a “luxury disorder.””

“Therefore, it’s not the objective conditions of life that matter, it’s your subjective
perception of how you measure up -– or what you “lack.””

- Something that really stood out to me in this article was the idea that depression is
a “luxury disorder.” I think in some ways this could be true, with the findings discussed
in this article it seems like the countries who have the highest rates of depression are
more developed countries. I will definitely be looking more into this idea and discussing
it in my thesis. Going to college also seems like a luxury, maybe there is a correlation
there.

8. - Barile, Nancy. “The Importance of Mental Health Awareness in Schools.” ​Hey

Teach!,​ 24 Oct. 2018,
https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/importance-mental-health-awareness-schools1810.
html​.

- Hey Teach is a content hub for educators created and operated by Western
Governors University (WGU). They aim to provide resources, stories, inspiration and
laughs through their work. Nancy Barile, the writer of this piece, is a national board
certified teacher who currently teaches at a high school near Boston. She is also an
Adjunct Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Emmanuel College in Boston,
MA.

- Barile begins her article with the claim that mental health awareness is an
important issue for all educators because they are the first line of defense. She has
observed the impact mental health can have on students performance in school and exerts
the notion that there is a great deal that can be done to help these students. She is pleased
to say that mental health awareness is a growing topic in schools today. Some topics she
goes over are, seeing the signs in students, understanding the impact, and spreading
awareness across the nation.

Barile gives a story about one of her students, Melina. She had quite a drastic
change in the school year where she did not do her homework, didn’t try on her essays,
and took no interest in her appearance. All of these had been the complete opposite of
how she had acted before. Barile knew there was something wrong, so she brought
Melina to the social workers in her school. Melina was found to have depression and
suicidal thoughts. Barile saw the signs in her student and took charge of the situation.
Next Barile goes into understanding the impact mental illness can have on students. The
National Alliance on Mental Illness has found that one in five people live with a mental
illness or disorder and many signs of these illnesses show at age 14. Many do not seek
help until adulthood which leaves 60% of high school students with mental illness to
never graduate. New York mental health experts recognized that earlier intervention
could result in more positive outcomes for these students. Barile is proud to say that New
York was the first state to require mental health education for all students. Barile
encourages teachers and students to take action for themselves until mental health
education is mandatory in all schools.

- This article goes nicely with some of my other articles that touch on stigma,
teachers roles in students mental health, and self-help techniques for students to use for
themselves. These were all different articles, but this reading put all three of them
together to sum up the reason on why mental health education should be mandatory in all
schools.

- “Because teens spend most of their day at school, it just makes sense to have
mental health awareness and education become part of the curriculum. When we
empower students with knowledge, and encourage dialogue, students will be able to get
the help they need.”
 “The overall mission of New York's School Mental Health (SMH) program is to
promote healthy social, emotional, and behavioral development of students, and "break
down barriers to learning so the general well-being of students, families, and school staff
can be enhanced in collaboration with other comprehensive student support and
services."”

“Key elements to shine a light on include the concept of self-care and

responsibility for ​one's own mental health and wellness​, with an emphasis on the fact that
mental health is an integral part of health, and the concept of recovery from mental
illness.”

- Although this article is about high school, I think the ideas within it can definitely
apply to higher education as well. The concept that really stuck with me is how earlier
intervention can possibly bring more positive outcomes for students. It is not too late to
educate students on mental health in college, this is the time where it is most needed.

9. - “Mental Health in the Workplace.” ​Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,​
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 Apr. 2019,
https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/tools-resources/workplace-health/mental
-health/index.html.

- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a federal agency that
conducts and supports health promotion, prevention, and preparedness activities in the
United States, with the goal of improving overall public health.

- This article dives into mental health in the workspace. 63 percent of Americans
are apart of the US labor force. The CDC says that the workplace could be a great
location for activities designed to improve the well being of adults. By the workplace
adding wellness programs, both sides can benefit. The employees can benefit by getting
connected to treatment while the business can benefit by reducing healthcare costs for
their employees and businesses. The rest of the article dives into the problems, solutions,
and strategies regarding mental health in the workspace.

Poor mental health and stress can negatively affect an employee by means of job
performance and activity, engagement with one's work, communication with coworkers,
and physical capability and daily functioning. There have also been proven that mental
illnesses such as depression are associated with higher rates of disability and
unemployment. It has been proven that workplace health promotion programs have been
successful combined with physical and mental health interventions. The CDC claims that
the workplace is an optimal setting to create a culture of health because, communication
structures are already in place, programs and policies come from one central team, social
support and networks are available, employers can incorporate incentives to promote
healthy behaviors, and employers use data to track progress. They also go into action
steps employers can take, I will include the most important. Employers can make mental
health self-assessment tools available to everyone, offer free or subsidized clinical
screenings, offer health insurance that is low or no out of pocket cost for medications and
counseling, host seminars or workshops that address depression and stress management
techniques, and provide managers with training to help them recognize the signs and
symptoms of stress and depression in team members. F​inally the CDC explains how
different people or institutions can help the problem. Health care providers can include
clinical psychologists, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, and other
allied health professionals as part of core treatment teams. Public health researchers can
create a mental health scoreboard to identify areas for intervention and establish training
programs to teach leaders how to build a healthy workspace. Community leaders and
businesses can create a system for employers and employees to find programs that
address mental health issues. Federal and state governments can collect data on workers
well being and conduct research. Finally, employees can share personal experiences to
break stigma, eat healthy, exercise, and get adequate sleep.

- This article touches not on actual college, but what happens after college, but it
still includes the same subjects that most of my other sources have also included. Self
help techniques, stigma, and helpful programs by leaders are all common grounds
between some of my sources.

- “Depression interferes with a person’s ability to complete physical job tasks about
20% of the time and reduces cognitive performance about 35% of the time.”

“Establish training programs in partnership with business schools to teach leaders

how to build and sustain a mentally healthy workforce.”

“Many people with mental health disorders also need care for other physical
health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, respiratory illness, and disorders that
affect muscles, bones, and joints.”

- I chose this article because I thought it was important to know how mental health
can affect students after college. If there isn't something done soon, problems can be
transferred into the workspace, the place you make a living out of. By educating students
early and breaking the stigma, we can stop a lot of problems from carrying over to the
workforce. Action needs to be taken now.
10. - “Warning Signs of Mental Illness.” ​American Psychiatric Association,​ July 2018,
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/warning-signs-of-mental-illness.

- The American Psychiatric Association is an organization of psychiatrists working

together to ensure humane care and effective treatment for people with mental illnesses.

- The American Psychiatric Association (APA) first starts by explaining how most
mental illnesses are slow growing, which means family, friends, and teachers can start to
see the first symptoms. They say that learning the early warning signs and early
interventions can reduce the severity of the illness. The APA dives into two main
concepts, the signs and symptoms and how to help.

The signs and symptoms include sleep or appetite changes, mood changes,
withdrawal(social withdrawal or loss of interest in activities), drop in functioning(school,
work, social activities, or quitting sports), problems thinking, increased sensitivity,
apathy, feeling disconnected, illogical thinking, nervousness, and unusual behavior. They
clarify that one or two of these symptoms alone cannot predict a mental illness, but
should be seen for further evaluation. If a person experiences several of these symptoms
at one time and the symptoms are affecting their everyday life, they should seek out a
mental health professional. The APA informs people that if they suspect their loved one
has a mental illness and needs help they should encourage them to have an evaluation,
learn about mental illness, and be monitored closely for conditions. The helper should
also consider the stigma around mental illness when speaking with the individual and
encouraging these things. The APA informs us of the types of comprehensive treatments
that can prevent early symptoms of a mental illness of progressing: ongoing individual
and family counseling, vocational and educational support, participation in a multi-family
problem-solving group, and medication if needed.

- This article goes along with my other sources that deal with self-help, how
teachers can help, how parents can help, and stigma. Most of my sources follow this
pattern, so it seems like these are very important concepts when talking about treatment.

- “Just as with other medical illnesses, early intervention can make a crucial
difference in preventing what could become a serious illness.”

“Major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder rarely appear

“out of the blue.””
 “More than a decade of research around the world has shown that early
intervention can often minimize or delay symptoms, prevent hospitalization and improve
prognosis.”

- I wanted to include in my thesis how the people who are reading it can help
others. These warning signs could urge students or faculty reading my thesis to help a
friend or student dealing with mental illness or just identify one in a stranger. This could
potentially save people's lives or at the least, prevent their illnesses from getting too
serious. My paper isn’t just meant to inform about what others should do, it is meant to
urge everyone to do something. Little acts make big changes.