Health Support & Services

STUDENTS EXPRESS NEED FOR IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND SERVICES AT THE COLLEGE

BY ELIZABETH KHARABADZE

Ithaca College junior Caroline Mannion said much of her “typical” college experience was warped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Adding generalized anxiety, depression and anorexia disorders, Mannion said, only made things more diffcult. Mannion said she has had many diffculties during Fall 2021 fnding groups in which she feels she belongs. Many of the friendships Mannion said she began to make during her freshman year were destroyed as a result of the pandemic. “That has taken a big hit on my mental health because [I wonder] is it just me who can’t fnd these friends?” Mannion said. “The March we left campus, I was starting to fnd friends, and then we weren’t allowed back [on campus]. So that was really diffcult … because I live in Ohio, and they all live in Massachusetts and New York.” Mannion also said she struggles with juggling academics, her social life and her mental well-being. Part of the stress, Mannion said, comes from dealing with professors who expect her to perform academically at high productivity levels.

Illustration by Abbey London

Students at Ithaca College express greater care for mental health problems. Photo illustration by Abbey London and Eleanor Kay

“With mental health, even though in some cases it can be really hard to deal with, [people] keep going, like they have perseverance,” Mannion said. The college is attempting to address the mental health needs of students through its partnership with the JED Foundation, which is a nonproft that works to prevent suicide and protect emotional health. JED Campus is a four-year strategic partnership between the college and the JED Foundation to assess and enhance mental health services, substance misuse and suicide prevention programs on campuses. In Spring 2021, the college sent out the Healthy Minds Survey as part of the JED process to assess student attitudes toward mental wellness support. Of the 1,226 students who participated, 84% reported feeling the need for mental health support services and 60% reported receiving services in the past. Brian Petersen, director of the Center for Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS), said that part of the process was forming different subcommittees to focus on different areas throughout the year. These include faculty and staff training, student engagement and outreach, stigma reduction and strategic planning. Petersen said the ultimate goal was to incorporate more training into the community to better identify and address mental health needs. “So we really want to look at what CAPS is doing and make sure that every student feels that we are a resource for them,” Petersen said. Petersen also said he was not surprised by an increase in levels of depression and anxiety. He said much of it could be attributed to the pandemic on top of traditional anxieties surrounding college. In a Spring 2020 online survey conducted by Active Minds, 80% of college students reported that COVID had a negative impact on their mental health in Spring 2020. “We see the normal adjustment issues around feeling comfortable with a roommate, being away from home and managing the anxiety of pending classes,” Petersen said. “But on top of that, now everyone has to deal with the anxiety about COVID.” Afton Kapuscinski, director of the Psychological Services Center and associate teaching professor of psychology at Syracuse University, said the pandemic contributed to mental health concerns nationally. “Since loneliness and lack of variety in activities can cause feelings of depression for anyone, those who already had mental health struggles prior to the pandemic were particularly at risk with limited social contact,” Kapuscinski said via email. “Despite improved conditions for some, other effects of the pandemic … continue to reverberate for many people.” Sophomore Alex Kabat also said she felt challenged by the sudden shift to in-person classes for the fall semester after a hybrid spring. “Being around everybody again is so great because there was nobody here all [during the Fall 2020] semester,” Kabat said. “And then when everybody came spring semester, it was very diffcult to get to know new people since all my classes were online.” Kabat also said that while she was looking forward to being on campus, she struggled with becoming motivated and managing her time. One way Kabat said she deals with this is through her friend group. “I think that everybody gets it, so it’s nice to feel the same sense of knowing that we were going through it all together,” Kabat said. Senior Michelle Pei, president of Active Minds at Ithaca College, said her main job is to spread awareness and dispel myths regarding mental health by providing a welcoming community and support group for students. “In general, when it comes to conversation about mental health, it seems to be quite taboo,” Pei said. “When in reality, we all have mental health as we do with physical health. … Especially considering with the recent quarantining, it only makes sense that a