When attending college with mental illness, two different treatment options often present themselves: treatment by professionals or self-medication. When I was in college, more opportunities presented themselves for self-medicating.
Mental illness is now more readily addressed in college institutions, and therapy is almost always included in the health plan offered by the school. The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 now enables a person with mental illness to obtain a "pass/illness/ disability card" from their treatment providers on campus to give to their professors offering varying school policies for extensions, and more time when taking exams. (Not everyone will need to do this, but it is valuable information to have.)
Getting support through professional help and support groups is very, very important, particularly when initially starting off at a new school. Knowing you are not alone in what you are experiencing, and obtaining treatment and support will allow you to manage the illness, rather than allowing the illness to manage you. Lessening the impact of the illness on your day to day life will more than likely create the opportunity for enjoyment and learning.
In a college setting there are few "rules" or adults to monitor what is going on, and young adults are able to make their own decisions. If treatment for mental illness is not addressed or taken seriously, a person may become a prime target for self-medicating.
While I was in college, I was still undiagnosed with my depression, anxiety, and PTSD and my mental health issues managed me. The choices I made in college were based on ignorance. Ignorance need not be part of decision making. I can not stress enough the importance to educate yourself, your family, your friends, a new roommate--whatever it takes. Do not believe that you can escape or alleviate the sadness you are feeling with drugs or alcohol.
What College Can Look Like Without Mental Health Intervention:
I attended a school with over 25,000 students. It was an in-state school, as my parents agreed to pay for college only if I went in-state. (My feelings of deserving less than others played a role in my decision for college, as I had the grades to apply for private or an Ivy League. I simply lacked the wherewithal to obtain financial aid.)
When I arrived at the dorms, lo and behold: there were four drug dealers living on my floor! Considering my experiences in high school, this was an interesting prospect...
I chose Engineering as my major and took all the weeding out classes my freshman year. I was so very unhappy. I even wrote a letter to the high school counselor I was assigned to (but never met) to ask her how to transfer to another school. My depression caught up with me hard. I was unable to keep pretending. I was miserable and a wreck. If I was not attending an Ivy League school, I thought that none of the work I was doing would matter. I was caught between snobbery and depression. I felt that the work put forth with my studies did not matter. I began to cry and disassociate a lot.
