Coming back home from college is never easy, especially navigating a new parent-child relationship. Personally, the biggest struggle for me coming back home was not having my parents recognize that I need more independence as I had been managing my own time at college. A few conversations later, and they recognized where they needed to let loose a little bit. This type of relationship is representative of authoritative parenting. My parents have set rules and boundaries while still respecting my perspective. In the infographic provided, I have outlined the four different types of parenting styles that impact a child’s biopsychosocial development. Which one relates to you?

In the midst of a global emergency, it can be easy to fall into a negative mindset about the situation. While it is normal to be upset about a sudden change in lifestyle and adapting to a new schedule, having a positive attitude can alleviate stress and improve quarantine conditions. In this infographic, I have provided some ways to look at some positive aspects of the pandemic. Quarantine is what you make it, so make it an productive experience!

As the global pandemic sweeps its way across the homestead, healthcare workers are on the front lines attempting to wrangle the beast. Coronavirus unexpectedly grew by the thousands and has now reached 558,768 confirmed cases in the United States alone. In this video interview, I spoke to ER Nurse Angie House (my amazing mom) who has worked countless nights to ensure the safety of her patients, staff, and family. Cases of anxiety and depression are spiking in the medical field as healthcare providers are tasked with putting their health at risk to save the lives of those with the virus. In this interview, I discussed how the pandemic is affecting mental health in hospital staff and possible ways to mitigate the stress.

In the midst of a national pandemic, I made a video addressing the physical and cognitive effects of quarantine/isolation on mental health. I also discuss positive and negative coping mechanisms for dealing with the stress of global outbreak. My goal for this video is to bring awareness to the correlation between isolation and mental health disorders as well as providing advice on healthy coping during this stressful time. I hope that everyone is adhering to social distancing, staying safe, and spending time with immediate family.

Mental health disorders are just as unique as snowflakes. Not a single person has the exact same symptoms as someone else struggling with a mental health disorder. For this reason, there are plenty of treatment options to accommodate to the complexity and prevalence of mental health disorder. In the infographic below, I have listed out a few treatments for mental health to spread awareness about the various options.

While on Netflix, I noticed an influx of criminal/forensic shows. I’m super into these kinds of shows and apparently so are a lot of people as Netflix has released plenty of documentaries and series concerning the topic. I enjoy watching them in particular to psychoanalyze the characters and try to guess their backgrounds based on behavior. If you need some new shows to get into while bored in quarantine, here are just a few of my suggestions.

Everyone experiences everyday stress. A common misconception is that stress and anxiety are the same thing, which is not the truth. According to the DSM-5, anxiety disorder is characterized as “excessive worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school performance)”. However, stress is the body’s natural response to perceived danger. Although long-term and continuous stress can be debilitating, some everyday worries can be relieved by some at home remedies. Here are my suggestions for stopping the stress.

For this audio story, I interviewed freshman psychology major Maddie Buckner and freshman education major Jenna Turpin. Maddie and I discussed the impacts of the negative stigma around mental health and students’ desire to seek treatment. I spoke with Jenna about her own battles with mental health and how the Counseling and Consultation Services at Marian have been a major help. The goal of this audio story is to promote awareness about treatment options for mental health disorders and to further decrease the negative stigma. This open conversation promotes positivity and empowerment for those who need help and seek it.

If you’ve ever been on campus or around college aged students, it’s not uncommon to hear the phrase, “This is making me depressed.” Major depressive disorder has become a running joke around college students as a way to cope with stress about school or family life.

However, depression is not a laughing matter. It is a serious mental health disorder that is rising exponentially across the teenage population. In 2019, the National Institute of Mental Health reported that 2.3 million people aged 12 to 17 years old had at least one major depressive episode in the past 12 months. Depression has become such a common topic of conversation that its severity has been diminished.

I think that depression is overlooked because it’s symptoms seem normal. When someone is having a bad day and feels sluggish, antisocial, and unmotivated, others around them don’t seem too concerned. However, when these feelings become continuous over a two week period, then there is cause for concern.

As advocated of mental health and concerned friends, it is important to watch behavior patterns of your loved ones. When something seems off or a behavior shifts, don’t be afraid to confront that person. Here are some signs to look out for that are associated with a major depressive episode:

1. Depressed most of the day almost everyday

2. Decreased interest or pleasure in hobbies or regular activities

3. Significant changes in diet

4. Changes in sleeping patterns

5. Fatigue or loss of energy almost every day

6. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt

7. Extreme indecisiveness

8. Recurrent thoughts or speaking about death and suicide

Being an advocate for those struggling with mental health disorders involves being informed. Just because a person experiences a few symptoms doesn’t meant that they are depressed. But, if you notice a significant change in personality or behavior, it is important to have an appropriate conversation with the person of concern. If you are not comfortable confronting the person yourself, you can always confide in a trusted adult.

Those suffering from major depressive disorder often put on a mask to hide their feelings so that other don’t know they are struggling. Be the person who picks up on their symptoms. Be the person who reaches out to help. Be the change. Save a life.

In this brief interview, I conducted questions about mental health disorders in schools to discuss with first year psychology major, Maddie Buckner. Maddie has a passion for mental health that drove her to pursue a career as a school psychologist. Having had positive experiences with school counselors throughout her years, Maddie wishes to provide the same assistance to grade school children struggling with mental health.

This interview covers reasons for the rise in mental health disorders and ways to eradicate the negative stigma on reaching out for help. Maddie provides insight on her goals as a hopeful school counselor and gives advice on how to handle mental health situations. Listen to this audio interview to learn how mental health starts with mental help.