Managing a Mental Health Condition in College

Starting college can be a stressful time for anyone, but it can be even more overwhelming when you are living with a mental health condition. Here are some ways you can manage your mental health condition away at college:

Know the resources available.

- School resources. On-campus health clinics and counseling offices offer services for dealing with everyday concerns such as relationship conflicts, adjusting to college and academic issues. They may limit their counseling to a dozen or fewer appointments. On-campus resources are a good place to start when you first develop a mental health problem, but they probably won't be able to provide long-term help. The counselors can help you find a long-term therapist or doctor in the community.

- Community resources. If you are a seeing a doctor or therapist you may want to find a new one closer to school to provide therapy or monitor medication.

Maintain and build support systems. Connections with friends and family at home provide much needed stability and you should keep in touch. But college also provides opportunities to make new friends and create new support systems through clubs and classes. If you're homesick, allow yourself to call home, but also reach out to the people around you. They may be missing home, too, and will welcome a new friend.

Monitor symptoms. A short, daily record of key symptoms such as mood and anxiety levels can help you notice if symptoms are getting worse. College can make it hard to stay on a regular schedule, which in turn makes it hard to notice changes in your eating or sleep patterns. Keeping a record or journal gives you useful information on your mental health. If your symptoms steadily worsen as you make the transition to college, don't wait to consult a doctor or therapist.

Maintain healthy habits. Exercising, eating a balanced diet and getting between 7-9 hours of sleep will give you more energy, help you focus better, and keep you emotionally resilient. Plan ahead for the health challenges of dining hall food and late night study sessions.

Avoid drugs and alcohol. Though the short-term effects may give users a boost, alcohol, marijuana and other drugs are poor ways to cope with stress. If you have a mental illness, you should avoid or at least limit your use of drugs and alcohol. When you plan for the academic work at college, plan for the social life as well. Think about social activities you enjoy that don't involve drugs and alcohol and seek out these activities on campus.

Reduce academic stress. Using academic supports such as study groups, tutors and the campus writing center can make classwork easier and give you encouragement from others. Because the college work load varies considerably from week to week, experiment with time management methods and find the ones that work best for you. Your college may offer first-year students advice on study skills and time management to help with this transition.

Learn more about mental illness. College sometimes offer students support groups for mental illness and stress management. NAMI may have a group on campus or an affiliate in the community. And college is also a great opportunity to learn more about the brain by taking classes in psychology.

Read more at www.nami.org.

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