LastName 1 LastName 3 FirstName LastName Instructor’s Name Course Title 10 May

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10 May 2022

Writing Project 3: A Multimodal Persuasion

Mental Health in Colleges.
“Randi*, a 20-year-old basketball player from Nashville, had struggled with depression for a few years before she left for college in 2019….” Cohen (2022)
Introduction.
Mental health is one of the significant concerns of medical practitioners and psychologists in the contemporary world (Eleftheriades et al. 104). In their article, “The Challenges and Mental Health Issues of Academic Trainees,” Eleftheriades et al. opine that mental health is an issue that all government institutions should consider. The learning institutions are some places hard hit by the mental health menace. Furthermore, Cain argues that 70% of American students are suspected of battling mental health-related ailments (6862). The author further alludes that the common mental health diseases ravaging American learning institutions are anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and personality disorders (6862). Further, the author says, “An American College Health Association’s survey of 5099 students and graduates in 2016 revealed that, within the last 12 months, 41.5% of students ‘felt things were hopeless,’ 51.8% ‘felt very lonely,’ 55.3% ‘felt overwhelming anxiety,’ and 33.5% ‘felt so depressed that it was difficult to function” (Cain 2). However, increased access to mental health services, fostering peer counseling, stopping the stigmatization of mental health, and increasing the students’ well-being help alleviate mental health in colleges.
Further statistics on the issue.

Figure 1. A Survey of College Student Mental Health in 2020- Source: The Jed Foundation.
As observed in the above graph, figure 1, the statistics confirm the claims made above by Cain. The author mentions students’ main mental health challenges, which the graph represents. The graphical representation above shows that anxiety is the main mental health issue. It is worth noting that many things go through the students’ minds while in class; anxiety is the major one. Many students suffer on the inside but try to press on to get through the day. The following representations capture my words. It tries to display the thoughts that go through students’ minds as they sit calmly in class. Some may be fooled by their calmness on the outside but sometimes, what goes through their mind is chaos and unrest.

Figure 2. A drawing representation of a student’s mind in class.
Since some students cannot share their thoughts, they often use music, art, or poetry to express their inner mental health issues. For example, in Ganci, Tiffaney shares her poem about mental health, speaking about her struggle with mental health issues. In the first stanza of her 2018 poem, “Breath,” she writes, 
“Breathe.”
“Panic, worry, darkness closing in around me.
These are some of the words I could use to describe my anxiety,
but nothing I can say could speak of its entirety,
as I cry internally, thinking I’ve lost my sanity.”

“Doctors, counselors, saying there’s something wrong with me.”
“My parents tell me to calm down and stop being so crazy.”
“Breathe. You will get through this” (Ganci).
To further display the mental health issues, the following word cloud fairly exhibits them. The representation tries to show the positive side of the story, highlighting optimism and positive thinking, which are useful tools in this fight.

Figure 5. A word cloud representation of mental health issues. Source: Carta.

Responding to the issues.

Figure 3. Pictograph showing the extent of community college Mental Health Issues
One way of responding to and alleviating mental health issues is increasing access to mental health services. Canady argues that every college community member should be wary of seeking mental health services, either within or outside their college premises (6). According to Canady, the college can develop a website that consolidates the information of all the healthcare providers within and outside the school’s locality (5). This is a good recommendation for alleviation of mental health. Figure 3 tries to show just how serious the issues regarding mental health issues are and how many go untreated, leaving students to suffer throughout their college life.
As a student, I have personally experienced the importance of the institution’s initiatives of increasing health access. When I was a High School student, I developed heart failure during a physical activity class, and I lost consciousness only to find myself in a nearby hospital. A week later, my friend Alisha said that I would be gone if there had not been a hospital nearby.
“If not for the school’s proximity to the hospital, we could have lost you,” Alisha.
Peer Counselling.
There is also a need for Fostering Peer Counselling to reduce mental health cases. As the aphorism goes, a problem shared is a problem half solved. When the students share their concerns among themselves, they gain the confidence to face life. The confidence stems from the positive advice that the students receive from their colleagues or friends. However, not all associates can be entrusted with sensitive information like one involving mental health, peer counseling has been used in psychotherapy for decades, and many have recorded success (Canady 5). Canady says that student organizations like Students Against Destructive Decision (SADD) and Active Minds have been instrumental in championing peer counseling (5)

Figure 4. A group of college students attending peer counseling.
Figure 4 displays students in a peer counseling session which is one way to battle mental health issues among students. Further, peer counseling presents opportunities for social interaction, which creates a safe environment in which students feel free to share their thoughts and understand that they are not alone. 
Decreased stigmatization.
Reduced social stigma among undergrads helps to improve mental healthcare provision services. According to Canady, nearly 60% of mental health cases go unreported, leading to errors (Canady 6). The stigmatization of mental health could be linked to the poor information disclosure of mental health scenarios. 
“I vividly remember when one of my classmates during my first year had dementia, some of my colleagues nicknamed her a ‘psycho.’ This wrong labeling made my colleague very uncomfortable. She was forced to defer her studies. ‘I feel this institution is not meant for people like me,’ my colleague said.”
‘…I feel this institution is not meant for people like me….’
Increased well-being.
Increasing the well-being of college students also helps manage and prevent mental health problems. Canady records that a sedentary lifestyle and bad nutrition have contributed to mental health issues (6). According to Canady, food plays a significant role in the brain’s functioning and general physiology (6). Canady further argues that physical exercises like strength and weight training, cardiovascular conditioning, etc., help boost moods. I feel an improvement in my cognitive ability since I started eating lots of omega 3.
Final Remarks.
Mental health is a menace that many health experts discuss. Mental health issues are rampant in mental institutions, and alleviation mechanisms have to be implemented. The common mental health diseases reported in colleges are dementia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc. Increased well-being, decreased stigmatization, peer counseling, and increased access to mental health services are activities that will help manage and alleviate mental health problems.
 

Works Cited

Works Cited.

Cain, Jeff. “It’s Time to Confront Student Mental Health Issues Associated with Smartphones and Social Media.” American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, vol. 82, no. 7, 2018, p. 6862., https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe6862. 

Canady, Valerie A. “Jed Evaluation Finds Colleges Improving Policies, Programs.” Mental Health Weekly, vol. 30, no. 29, 2020, pp. 5–6., https://doi.org/10.1002/mhw.32451. 

Eleftheriades, Renee, et al. “The Challenges and Mental Health Issues of Academic Trainees.” F1000Research, vol. 9, 2020, p. 104., https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.21066.1. 

Ganci, T.L. “Breathe.” Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/breathe-7.