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Talking about mental health, although it seems to be in fashion, is still a taboo topic in our society. A society contemptuously classifies mental illness as a greater evil of self, a tectonic failure to be ashamed of, and a failure of individual life in his human existence and perfection in society.
The term “mental illness” was created to humanize and reduce the stigma associated with the bias associated with the concept of “madness”. When someone tells us that they have diabetes and is dependent on insulin daily, we can imagine that such information would elicit a very different reaction in society if the same person instead told us that they are daily dependent on antidepressants or antipsychotics.
More and more studies associate mental pathology with a dysregulation of physiology, as with any other diseases of an “organic” basis. In this context, I see that what happens in the community has a ten times greater impact on the university community.
I myself went through innumerable difficulties during the integration process at the University of Porto (FMUP) Medical School and suffered for a long time in a completely isolated way because I was afraid to talk about what I was struggling with. The fact that I completed my secondary education abroad, where teaching was very different from the reality in Portugal, immediately left me in a position inferior to my classmates, and this is in my head. Things got worse when we encountered the first hesitations, as my grades weren’t at all what I expected and my studies and dedication didn’t show. I got sucked into a spiral of negativity, not only because of the grades, but also because of the frustration I felt at not being able to find the perfect study method, which had never let me down until then. There were more colleagues than friends, which also did not make the process easier, and confinement in 2020 was undoubtedly an aggravating factor. When I began to receive psychological support, instilled in me by a close friend, everything began to improve. Understanding the obstacles I face, why I face them and how to overcome them has been critical to improving my academic career.
There are many fellows who encounter difficulties, either in the process of integrating into their courses, or as their studies progress. The impact of entering university in a pandemic year has also caused massive feelings of insecurity in many of us and the environment and the system itself in most universities not only provide comfort and mutual aid, but exacerbate them leading to isolation. A vicious cycle of negative thoughts. We deny our own problems, because the general environment, reproduced under the magnifying glass, indicates that all is well with everyone, just like what we see in the plastic life on social media.
If we have problems, we feel we shouldn’t assume them out of fear of the stigma attached to them, like they are equal to failure, a bad degree that will set us apart for life in front of our fellow peers. If we take antidepressant medications or use mental health professionals, we feel that it is not as shareable information as any other illnesses/injuries we may have during, for example, our performance in college sports.
That’s why being okay isn’t a bad thing, but it shouldn’t be underestimated. Being unwell may require psychological support or even therapy and we must bear in mind that more important than telling others that everything is OK when they are in trouble is offering the tools that connect them to support networks.
All colleges should have a psychological support office. Not only to provide this support, but also to provide pedagogical support that helps students deal with exam stress and adopt study methodologies that are appropriate to the new world they face in higher education.
Then it is important to note that some colleges even have these offices and support networks, but the waiting lists indicated are very long, which led to the same scenario of no such initiative. On the other hand, we must normalize in our relationships the fact that college involves not only joy, but also insurmountable difficulties that we must talk about, because after all if our dreams do not frighten us it is because they are not. big enough.
