Photo by Victoria Heath on UnSplash
The Wellness CheckÂ
This past week I had a wellness check done on me after posting something on social media that led others to believe that I was a danger to myself. I use social media to tell my story and to express both the good and the bad realities I live with each day. By doing so, I hope to help others know that it is okay to be vulnerable and to not be okay sometimes. I am in a better place than I was but unfortunately I am still struggling every day to make it. This is often when people get concerned. I understand, but there also needs to be a better approach when dealing with students’ mental health crises.
A Traumatic Experience
For the wellness check, I was forced to talk to university workers despite not wanting to do so. If I did not, I would have been kicked off campus or taken to a hospital despite telling them I had no plan to hurt myself. They know my situation (I have no home), yet they told me I would need to go home. This only made matters worse as I had previously seen my university as my home. Apparently, this is not even the case. Now I feel like I do not belong anywhere even moreso than I already did.
Stop “Fixing” Us
You cannot just force students to talk to you when they do not feel ready. You cannot tell them “hospitalization it is” every time they express that they are not okay. This makes it difficult to talk to you, because you lead us to believe that something is wrong with us when in reality there is NOTHING wrong with us.
The Mental Health of College Students
Universities need to do better and treat students in crisis with kindness and respect. Give them power in the situation (do not choose for them). Allow them room to breathe. You traumatize us by forcing yourselves into our rooms, not leaving us alone until we comply with one of your options. We have no say whatsoever about what is best for us in these situations. We know what is best, but you tell us otherwise. Do better!
