Spartan Daily

Mental health remains a delicate balance for students

This issue originally appeared in the Feb. 24 issue of the Spartan Daily.

A thought startled Trudi Clifton-Vizvary awake. She shot upright in bed, caught in a moment of realization and repeated the words: “They’re hungry.”

Several days previously, the Listening Post coordinator was sitting at her mental health table on campus when a student she knew came up to her and began a conversation. During their conversation, the student told her he was coming to school hungry every day.

Several days later in the middle of the night, Clifton-Vizvary realized that many of the thousands of students who she watched walk by her table every day were not eating enough food.

When she asked one of the student listeners for the Listening Post, they told her the joke going around the school was one could either pay for tuition or pay for food.

While humorous on the surface, Clifton-Vizvary realized this was a situation that for some students was very real.

“One student came and asked for (all the food) we had out on the table,” She said. “Another said he and his friends were drinking water to deal with hunger pains.”

Spurred by her realization, she dug further into research on student hunger, and found a study of 10,000 students from UC Davis reporting that a large portion of the students were not receiving adequate nourishment.

She began communicating with Marjorie Freedman of the nutrition department and Jason Laker, vice-president of student affairs, and gradually awareness rose through the administration that this was a real problem facing students.

“Now the people who are in a position to come up with solutions are working on it,” she said.

Clifton-Vizvary, a retired social worker, makes every effort to provide a space where students can speak about their personal lives, problems, frustrations, aspirations or confusion, without judgment, condescension or written record.

The Listening Post is Clifton-Vizvary and a group of volunteers’ effort to provide mental health tips to students. They do this at a table that moves across campus, providing information, pamphlets and listen to students who need to talk.

“This is a safe place,” she said. “If students have something they need to say, they know where to come.”

Sunny Gill, a kinesiology studentwho lives in his car, said there are many factors which can make life stressful for students.

“I believe there’s (thousands) of people here, there’s a lot of competition,” Gill said. “Expectations are high, my papers always come back as Ds. I deal with it. I had a paper due at 12 last night, (I) tried my hardest … I feel like I’m being punished for something.”

Gill said he often does not find time to associate with other students on campus as pressures to keep up with coursework absorb most of his time.

“I’m just usually to class and back,” Gill said. “I spend as much time as I possibly can studying.”

There is often a disconnect between administrators and students, and the Listening Post is one of the few ways that someone connected with administration can have any idea what life is really like for the students, Clifton-Vizvary said.

While not documenting individual’s information, she keeps track of trends within the student body based on what students tell her, and she tries to connect school officials with this information.

“This is like the front-line,” she said. “To go to counseling, there is a (formal) record.”

Often, there is a stigma that manifests itself in many cultures to avoid seeking mental help, she said, which
can make formal avenues of mental-health assistance underused.

“Stigma is huge,” she said. “It varies depending on the culture … this is one of the most diverse campuses.”

Derrick Daniels, an SJSU student who has struggled with depression and at one point attempted suicide, said he felt it was an issue that students should be aware of.

“I had that urge and I thought everybody feels it sometimes,” Daniels said. “Get help once you feel that urge … You will get better believe it or not.”

Daniels said he found keeping himself busy with things like school and work were actually helpful in alleviating the pain, and that if one just made efforts to live a normal life, it helped.

“If you feel really shitty, take medication. If you’re at risk anyway, why not?,” he said.

Where counseling helps

Dr. Kell Fujimoto, director of counseling services, said counseling often faces a culture that is resistant to mental health.

“It’s part of American culture that to be able to handle problems is a sign of strength,” he said. “But we all seek counseling. Even talking across a coffee table with friends is counseling.”

Counseling services provides six free, complete counseling sessions per semester with a trained psychiatrist, as an individual or couple with discretion of the psychiatrist to extend the sessions as appropriate.

“It is ethical for us to make sure that people receive treatment,” he said. “(The sessions) could be about stress, families … We’re trying to reduce that stigma that counseling is only for the psychologically disturbed.”

Counseling services also offers academic counseling, as academics and mental health are often related, Fujimoto said.

Communication and observation are key
In light of recent of the Arizona shooting, there are not clear rules on when it is appropriate for counselors to intervene and recommend higher levels of care, but that individuals who notice dangerous behavior in their friends should make it a priority to ensure that they receive treatment, he said.

“If someone is disturbed by behavior, we want to know about it,” Fujimoto said. “Any statements of harm, if they want to harm themselves or others, that should be reported without a doubt.”

Faculty also play an instrumental role in keeping students seeking counseling, Fujimoto said.

Counseling services talk to faculty during meetings with department chairs and deans and provides presentations in classrooms about counseling services.

Faculty also have the ability to refer students to counseling if they notice any reasons for concern in a student.

Sergeant Manuel Aguayo of the University Police Department said it was becoming clear after the shooting in Arizona there were many warning signs that this individual might become dangerous, but no one did anything.

In light of this, it was extremely important that people communicate when they see others who may be in need of help.

“Our main goal is to maintain a safe and secure learning environment,” Aguayo said. “Anytime we receive information that there might be a danger to public safety we will investigate and act accordingly.”

Fujimoto said there is close collaboration between all the different agencies on campus related to issues in mental health, specifically on the individual level.

Consultant Pharmacist Pam Rice, who operates the Student Pharmacy on campus, said the younger age groups on campus are not dealing with chronic illnesses.

She said if she observes conditions that no one else would be in a position to observe, she would act in collaboration with other departments on campus.

“If somebody comes in, and they are on medication and they do not come in for a refill … It’s very appropriate for the pharmacist to become involved.”

In situations when the UPD is called in, they will assess the situation and, at their discretion, can call for an individual to be held for up to 72 hours at a mental health facility if the officers feel the person may be a danger to themselves or others, Aguayo said.

If there were any crimes committed UPD would follow procedure as they would under normal circumstances.

Related to mental health however, Aguayo said individuals should be utilizing services on campus so they can feel better before it comes to the point of involving UPD.

“It’s important students be aware that there is a lot of help available,” Aguayo said. “If there is something wrong, don’t keep it to yourself … If you need help, ask for it. If you know someone that needs help, ask for them.”

Roots of distress
While all students face unique challenges, Clifton-Vizvary said common problems on campus were sleeplessness and added pressures from a family situation.

“In the past, parents were like the foundation for students. Now that is shifting. Parents are having trouble themselves, and that has a direct influence on students. (This) exacerbates normal growing up issues … Reality is changing dramatically for this generation.”
Clifton-Vizvary said there is a lot of collaboration that goes on for students’ mental health at SJSU, and she hopes more students will seek out help.

“There is a community of faculty, staff, and administrators on campus who care very much for the students,’ she said. “We all have mental health issues. It’s universal. They should know where to go.”

Breakdown
Some common factors linked to students’ deteriorating mental health are sleep deprivation or a general lack of sleep, and added family pressures in addition to academic pressures.
People who see students or people showing signs of mental distress or depression should inform someone in a position to help.