The incident in the Quad Tuesday not only raises serious questions about the University’s emergency response but also about our awareness of mental health issues, especially those pertaining to college students. Did you know that the majority of mental illnesses first present themselves at the college age? That, accompanied by the high-stress environment of college life and the fact that many of us are on our own for the first time, leaves students especially vulnerable to developing problems with mental health. College students need to be better informed so that those experiencing symptoms understand what they are going through, know it’s not their fault and get the help they need. Mental health education is also important so that worried students know how to talk to their friends about getting them help, where to find help, and also so that those students who are living with a mental health disorder don’t feel alone. In a 2006 study by the American College Health Association, nearly half of all college students reported having felt so depressed in the past year that they couldn’t function. The student who drove his car into the Quad on Tuesday is not “crazy.” He’s struggling, just like so many of us are. He needs support and understanding, not judgment and ostracism. That could’ve been any one of us Tuesday morning. We all get stressed. We all feel overwhelmed.  It is SO clear that so many of us are struggling, so why does it seem like no one is willing to talk about it? There is so much stigma that surrounds mental illness that we refuse to recognize it in ourselves and/or peers, and we certainly do not talk about it. The sad and confusing event Tuesday morning is a perfect example of why we need to START TALKING NOW.Allie Solomonpsychology senior
 
 
 
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