Lot's Wife Edition 6 2015

20
STUDENT AFFAIRS
By Rubee Dano
On Having a Mental
Illness at Uni
It’s not a big deal. I’ll deal with it. It’d sound stupid if I told
anyone I was struggling; they don’t grant special consideration
just because you’re feeling sad or because you’re stressed about
assignments. It’s not worth telling anyone about it.
These may be some of the thoughts that run through your
head if you were suffering a mental illness. Mental illnesses
such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and others, can
make everyday activities incredibly difficult, which means
that a task like seeking help could seem impossible. It is not
uncommon to downplay the seriousness of a mental illness,
or to dismiss it and not recognise it as a problem, when in
reality it is as real a medical condition as any other.
According to the Australia Bureau of Statistics, every
year, one in five Australians will experience a mental health
condition. According to Beyond Blue, of those aged sixteen
to twenty-four, one in sixteen will experience depression and
one in six will experience an anxiety disorder, and one in
four young people in Australia is currently suffering from a
mental illness. These statistics are overwhelming, when you
think of how many people are in your typical lecture cohort
or even your weekly tutorial. The number of people, according
to the stats, that are potentially suffering a mental illness
is exceedingly high; it might be one of your classmates, or a
friend, a family member, of even yourself.
Mental illness has faced a lot of negative stigma in the
past, however according to Beyond Blue, young people are
now ranking mental illness as one of their highest concerns
(outranking the environment, bullying, employment or
education). Despite the soaring numbers in young people
who suffer from a mental health problem, this development
is a good thing. It means that we are wising up to the impact
of mental illness, and the importance of treatment.
At uni, it’s not as hard as you would think it is to get help.
Whether it’s for yourself, or for a friend, there are plenty of
options that might be able to help. The Better Health Victoria
initiative suggests that while you can encourage a friend or
family member to talk, you cannot solve their problems for
them. It is important to remember that it isn’t your fault if
somebody close to you has a mental illness. While you can
help, but you can’t force them to seek help or get better, you
just have to be a mate and help them as much as you can.
If seeking help is something that they want to pursue, the
Monash Disability Services office is a good place to start.
The Disability Services office is responsible for handling
long-term arrangements regarding any disability or health
condition that impacts upon your studies. In the instance
of mental health for instance, they can potentially provide
you with more flexible deadlines and class attendance
requirements, however every individual case is assessed
independently. Their other services include counselling,
which is available at the health centre on campus at no
charge for students, the SMART program, which helps
students cope with study and exams, and a mindfulness
program aimed at reducing stress and anxiety. All of these
options can provide a great environment for talking through
issues and learning to cope with the difficulties of having
a mental illness, as well as working towards overcoming it.
Monash Health also provides students with free access to
doctors, who might be able to recommend further treatment
or assistance if needed.
The Disability Services office stresses that each case is
treated on an individual basis. This goes not only for how
cases might be dealt with at university, but for mental illness
in general. One person’s experiences of depression might
be entirely different from someone else’s, and it does no
good to compare yourself to others in terms of your mental
health, because this can lead to downplaying a problem
because ‘someone else has it worse’. Everyone is different,
and everyone copes with difficult times in their own way,
but one thing is consistent amongst everyone and it is that
mental illness is a serious issue. It is a big deal, even though
you might think it sounds stupid or that nobody would care,
which are common thoughts to have.
If you, or anyone you know, might be suffering from a
mental illness, one of the first things that you can do is
simply to talk to someone. This can be anyone, from a friend
or family member, to a counsellor or a doctor. There are
so many resources out there for people seeking help, and
though deciding to get help is incredibly hard, it really is
worth it.
You can contact the Disability Services
office at 9905 5704 or register online.
Beyond Blue has an extensive list of ways to seek
support on their website (www.beyondblue.org.au),
from immediate support to planning long-term goals.
If you need someone to talk to right away or if you
feel like you might be in danger of harming yourself,
Lifeline offers 24 hour counselling services at 13 11 14.