As Mental health Awareness Week continues, Quinnipiac University is doing its part to provide mental health education for its students.
Mental health advocates on campus are helping their fellow Bobcats in the battle against poor mental health through events, tabling, and surveys.
CORE Institute is a company dedicated to delivering neurological care. On Monday, the company sent an email to Quinnipiac students inviting them to participate in a survey regarding their mental health. The survey focused specifically on the impact that COVID-19 has had on their mental health, as well as alcohol and drug abuse.
“Information that we gather will help along the lines of mental health,” said Tami Reilly, director of Fitness and Well Being at Quinnipiac. “How are you using, are you using alcohol and substances as a form of self-medication to help you get through depression or anxiety?”
By determining how the student body is being affected by mental health issues, Quinnipiac will be better prepared to support its students who struggle, according to Reilly.
Carisha Moore, a 23-year-old graduate student from Sacramento, California, earning her Master’s in biomedical sciences, is another mental health advocate. She said that to support its students, Quinnipiac needs to create programming that is designed for specific needs.
One subject that Moore and Reilly are focused on is substance abuse and the role it plays in the lives of those who suffer from mental health challenges. Moore said that a college is a popular place for young adults to try new things like drugs and alcohol, but perhaps even more, so this year.
Due to the challenges of COVID-19, some students may be hesitant to try new experiences. Common activities are suddenly unavailable, and students need to find new ways to entertain themselves. On top of that, students may be feeling more stress, sadness and isolation during the pandemic, pushing them to numb those feelings.
“It’s most prevalent to try (drugs and alcohol) in college,” Moore said. “This survey will tell us how many of our students are doing that, especially through COVID. There’s a question in (the survey): ‘Has COVID caused you to turn to substance abuse?’ … With that we’ll be able to create programming that we can cater to that population.”
Understanding the problems themselves are important in order to start a healing process, according to Reilly. Without comprehending why a reliance on drugs and alcohol in order to feel sane or healthy, it’s difficult for those who do rely on them to get rid of the habit.
“When you drink or you do drugs, you’re numb, so you don’t really have to feel,” Reilly said. “There’s numbing effects, so then it’s easier for a lot of people to use (drugs) and they don’t even know why they think they feel better, but they’re really just masking a problem, so that’s how a lot of people end up with problems and issues. Not everybody starts the right way, like (meeting with) a therapist.”
In addition to the counseling offered at Quinnipiac’s health centers, mental health advocates are providing activities like yoga and meditation. These activities aim to provide a healthier way to accomplish the relief and distraction that substances may provide.
“We know that there are lots of mechanisms in place to help, but then there’s things that you can do that are easy that will add and enhance all of that,” Reilly said. “So instead of someone running to the bottle or looking to that as the alternative, we’re hoping that they’ll see that there are other ways that maybe are better in the long run to help them.”