By Reem Raidan | Campus Reporter
In Collaboration with the Accessible Education Office
Mental health is crucial for the consistency of proper living. Everything we do traces back to our mental health, including our actions and reactions, whether consciously or unconsciously. But what about mental health and its direct impact on us as university students, AUB students to be exact? As you might know, the university is a community by itself that represents a vivid reflection of a broader community with all its diversity including struggles and challenges. Thus, understanding the significance of the mental wellness of AUB students helps us delve more into learning about their needs to maintain good mental health while building their future.
Being on campus, mingling with students from different faculties and asking them questions on their mental wellness has provided sufficient information to create a primary perception of their mental health. It turns out that few students are diagnosed with a mental health condition, and they aren’t aware of the mental health resources at AUB. Also, the majority of students believe that there is a stigma on mental health on campus.
The top three stressors are academic stress, social relationship stress and time management stress. Students claim that the university’s academic workload influences their mental health and that the pressure of finals and midterms has impacted them negatively. A visibly enormous number of students reveal that they experience heightened anxiety and depression during specific times of the semester. Others state that there is a non-academic stress related to what they are going through due to the unfortunate current situation in the country. This makes it difficult to maintain social relationships and deprives them of an adequate amount of sleep.
However, when it comes to university’s extracurriculars making the semester pass by at ease, students were neutral as they seemed apathetic. Adding to that, the majority have an indifferent reaction towards the ability to adjust to university life, which encompasses academic, social, and personal transitions. It is essential to highlight that the most common coping mechanisms to deal with university’s stressors as summed by the survey are seeking social support, social media scrolling, practicing hobbies, coffee and other negative ways like avoidance or zoning out.
On another note, most claim that demographic and socioeconomic factors affect mental health outcomes. Surprisingly, the majority of the students believe that university resources did not help them persevere during the academic year. On the bright side, most students claim that self-care helps them maintain a positive well-being, and they are open to professional help despite not being comfortable discussing their struggles openly. Consequently, most students express feeling joyful doing what they like. That includes engaging in fun and entertaining activities to help them cope with stress. Some express their willingness to make an appointment with psychiatrists but believe it should be less of a hassle than it is now. Others find it essential to have practical workshops and one-to-one sessions for those in need. Lastly, some students suggest making the resources a little more accessible.
Most students with mental health issues refuse or cannot apply to accommodations, so we interviewed the director of AEO (Accessible Education Office) Ms. Lama Badaoui to inform us of those struggles. She mentioned that many students struggling with mental health conditions often try to work on their academic requirements on their own but end up facing difficulties managing by the end of the semester. This is when applications are most requested, which makes it difficult to manage on time. Additionally, since AEO requires documentation for any disability or condition, access to mental health services is an essential part to ensure that students receive the full support they need.
Mental health should never be taken slightly since the consequences can be quite harmful. Thus, awareness must be spread among students who should know when to seek help and then guided to the right people to talk to about any concern as accumulation of negative emotions can be hard to deal with on an individual level. Life is full of challenges to overcome and learn from, which builds a better version of ourselves. We all deserve to be happy, but we need to acknowledge what hinders us, only then will we be able to attain it and reach our self-fulfillment. Nothing should stand in our way to become an active functional member in society. Everything can be understood including our mentality that could thrive if treated properly.
For more information about available academic support services at AUB, please contact the AEO accessibility@aub.edu.lb, or ext. 3151. Do not hesitate to contact them if you feel like you need academic support due to a mental health condition or disability or if you need help with any type of learning accommodation.