2023 marked one of the darkest years for mental health on college campuses around the US, source reported. One has to ask why the mental health crisis is on the rise and what we should do about it. 

Nearly everyone I spoke to revealed they had struggled with mental health in some way or another sometime in their life, but didn’t do anything about changing their way of life. In a recent phone interview with Hudson Toll, a student at the University of Montana, started his battle with mental health issues as an athlete as well as his first year at college. “I think I didn’t handle it well. I kinda just basked in the depression in my dorm room alone,” he said.

Toll knew that going outside and socializing would have been beneficial towards his overall mental state, but he didn’t. Far too many people had the same or similar responses, such as Cole George. George said that he struggled with depression and anxiety throughout his first year of college in Ohio. He also realized he was facing problems, but didn’t reach out for help or talk to anyone about what he was going through.

Alex Fogle, a senior in high school in Charlottesville, Virginia, said that he too struggled with mental health and anxiety but unlike the other responses, his was different. “I never really thought about what I needed to do to help myself,” he said. 

Some made jokes out of the fact that this would be a question I would ask them. The range of answers was about where I expected; everyone had struggled with some form of mental health issue. The concerning part was they didn’t know there were resources available to them.

Knowing that students have resources to go to is one of the most important steps in helping yourself. Lula Moore, an academic success coach at CNU, oversees countless athletes every day about their academics and mental well-being. 

She said that having a university such as CNU creates an easy outlet for students and athletes alike creates a huge advantage for other universities because it takes the stigma out of it all and makes asking for help easy and normal for everyone.

The stigma people have created around going to counseling or asking for help has taken a toll on current college students, especially athletes. Mackenzie Tate, a senior on the Christopher Newport Women’s Track and Field team, said that she never really thought of going to counseling when it came to mental health and sports, since she grew up with the mindset of working through tough times. 

“Many counselors do not know how to advise athletes, because it’s such a unique mindset and it’s easier to cater to the majority of the population, which is those who are not involved in sports and deal with more day-to-day problems,” she explained. 

When asked if she would ever consider going to counseling, her response was, “I honestly don’t think so. My time as a student-athlete is coming to an end and I feel that I know myself best and what works for me.”

Whether or not you are a student-athlete or a student, everyone struggles with mental health and asking for help at some point in life. We need to understand that we are human, and we will always make mistakes and have problems we go through. However, the first step is always asking for help and understanding that there are resources available on this campus and online. The mental health crisis won’t be solved overnight, but everyone coming together to help each other is a huge step forward.