By the time she had entered high school, Elizabeth had already been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. By her sophomore year she had been hospitalized, completed a treatment program and was seeing a therapist and taking medication. “Though the transition was difficult at best, high school was a really wonderful experience for me, something I attribute largely to the fact that I had an incredible support system,” Elizabeth recollects. “My parents were amazing – they embraced family therapy, helped foster my coping skills, and disassociated my worth from my appearance. I also saw a therapist, psychiatrist, and nutritionist regularly.”
Winter break can be a difficult time for college students and their parents, who are trying to establish a new dynamic that falls somewhere between students’ new found independence and the structure and rules of living at home. While this period of time can be a struggle for some, it also presents an important opportunity for parents to tune in to their child’s mental health. Having been away for the past three or four months, changes in behavior that might have seemed minute in day-to-day interactions can become easier to identify.
The holiday season is a great reminder about the spirit of giving and helping to those in need. Whether you donate a toy to a child, volunteer at a shelter, or participate in a giving campaign, you are making a difference in the lives of others.
One third of college students reported feeling so depressed that they found it difficult to function in the past year, according to the American College Health Association’s most recent Annual National Survey. With the number of students with mental health conditions increasing, some schools have developed mental health policies which have resulted in expulsion and other mandates which have left students feeling resistant toward seeking help.
Pet therapy programs at colleges and universities are emerging across the nation in an effort to meet the increasing mental health needs of college students. Counselors and school administrators have found that qualified companion dogs provide a creative solution to the increased demands and reduced budgets many college counseling centers face.
Screening for Mental Health, Inc.
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