The Brain and the Heart Matter Too
By Katie Doucette
Marquette University
Have you ever felt that moment of panic when you think you have lost your wallet? Or what about when you hear those cop car sirens go off and you think they are about to pull you over? Magnify that feeling times ten, instead of moments think hours, add obsessive thoughts, sweating, loss of appetite, lightheadedness, and you would experience my anxiety.
I can remember my first anxiety attack in college, and it scared the living daylights out of both me and my friends.
I have struggled with anxiety since I was a sophomore in college at Marquette University. Well, let me rephrase that, I probably had it since I was in grade school but no one ever called it that. I was the kid whose parents refused to tell me we were going to the doctor because I would instantly start vomiting out of fear. When I was younger my anxiety was mostly situational, but as I got older it started to become more pervasive in every aspect of my life. I can remember my first anxiety attack in college, and it scared the living daylights out of both me and my friends. I felt alone and scared. I was losing control of myself, my emotions, and my life.
Thankfully, my twin brother was at Marquette with me and he was the one who suggested I go to the counseling center. At first, I refused. All I remember thinking about were the negative stigmas we usually hear associated with mental illness—crazy, weird, helpless, weak. I did not want to be associated with that. Yet, I also knew my anxiety was starting to interfere with my relationships, school, and my own personal understanding of myself…so I went. It changed my life. I was officially diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, and a few years later ended up going on medication to supplement the cognitive behavioral techniques I learned through counseling. I am happy. I am myself. Yes, I struggle with my anxiety here and there but I have learned the tools necessary to combat it.
“[F]orty million U.S. adults suffer from an anxiety disorder, and 75 percent of them experience their first episode of anxiety by age 22.”
Why does my story matter? How does it affect the world of higher education? According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), “forty million U.S. adults suffer from an anxiety disorder, and 75 percent of them experience their first episode of anxiety by age 22.” This age group is exactly who we serve. Year after year, I see more and more students self-disclosing about their mental health status in their essays. If you are an Admission Counselor, how does your school address this increasing need for mental health support? If you are a high school counselor, how are you advocating and supporting your students when anxiety or depression are taking hold? Furthermore, on top of that mental health struggle add other layers of identity such as race, cultural background, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, the list goes on. A student may have additional barriers preventing them from seeking help or feeling safe self-disclosing because of their various identities.
We have to break the stigma and let students know we are here for them and that asking for help in whatever way they choose is okay.
We have to start talking about mental health. We have to break the stigma and let students know we are here for them and that asking for help in whatever way they choose is okay. If we don’t, we are doing the students we serve a disservice and blocking them from becoming their true selves. “But Katie, I have no idea where to start. Katie, I have never experienced any sort of mental health struggles, how could I be of any help?” Listen. Affirm. Be Patient. As someone who experiences anxiety, that is what I need from others most when I am going through an anxiety attack. If you have experienced mental health struggles and are comfortable, share your story. When my brother shared with me that he went to the counseling center, it opened the door for me to go, too.
Be that person who opens the door for your students. Our brain and our heart are just as important as any other part of our body. It is about time we start believing that.
Thankfully, my twin brother was at Marquette with me and he was the one who suggested I go to the counseling center. At first, I refused. All I remember thinking about were the negative stigmas we usually hear associated with mental illness—crazy, weird, helpless, weak. I did not want to be associated with that. Yet, I also knew my anxiety was starting to interfere with my relationships, school, and my own personal understanding of myself…so I went. It changed my life. I was officially diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, and a few years later ended up going on medication to supplement the cognitive behavioral techniques I learned through counseling. I am happy. I am myself. Yes, I struggle with my anxiety here and there but I have learned the tools necessary to combat it.
