An August 12, 2010 article* by Shari Roan of the Los Angeles Times reveals the number of college students afflicted with a serious mental illness is rising.
Aside from the profound and diverse challenges that come from the specific struggle with mental illness such as bipolar or schizophrenia, more and more students are suffering from the emotional and mental trauma rooted in unrealistic expectations and low self-esteem.
Increasingly, teenagers today suffer from debilitating anxiety and depression that can lead to coping patterns of behavior that include drug addiction, anorexia and self-harm. Self-harm can show up in the physical form as in cutting and it can show up as a withdrawal or reluctance (or fear) to express authentically.
Succumbing to the pressure to meet certain expectations, standards of achievement and pre-packaged lives, these young adults struggle with a profound inner angst in record numbers. Many feel like they're coming apart, are missing something inside or there's something wrong with them for feeling so unhappy at such a young age.
Even if they come from a privileged childhood wrapped in external affluence, many of these children lack enthusiasm for the life they have ahead of them.
This inner turmoil does not go away by itself. It is not a phase one 'goes though' blindly. Unless holistically addressed from a mind, body and soul perspective the return to anything that remotely resembles the playful, ever curious, energetic bundle of joy and love that was present at birth is fleeting at best.
Yet it can be done. People learn how to rise above, to turn challenge into opportunity each and every day. Its not always easy. Its always worth the effort.
I encourage anyone who is sick and tired of being sick and tired to stand up. Look around you. You are not alone. There are people all around you who share your experience and feel your pain.
There is support all around you. You will find resources on this site. All you have to do is ask and be willing to show up.
There are others who are trained and experienced in helping you through this dark tunnel and into a place where you can breathe deeper, see clearer and openly embrace your self and the life you were born to enjoy.
Begin by loving yourself enough to open your heart and express your truth to others. As Dr. Seuss once said "Be who you are and say what you feel. Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind".
* http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/12/news/la-heb-college-20100812
With love and laughter,
Valery
Tags: Mental Illness Los Angeles Times
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