Dear Yana:
I’m a Junior at an HBCU down South. (I won’t say the name because I’m trying to protect my privacy.) Lately, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. We recently returned to school and I should be excited but it’s as though I could care less. I’m always sad, I’ll cry at the drop of a hat and I just don’t like being around people for long periods of time. We’ve been in school for a month and I’m failing all of my classes and I don’t care. I’ve always been an A/B student and this is beginning to terrify me. I don’t know how to tell my mother because she works so hard to put me through school and more than likely she would tell me to just pray about it. She doesn’t believe in psychiatrists. She just says they fill your head full of ‘psychobabble’. Yana what should I do? Should I seek help from a psychiatrist or should I just let God handle the situation? Should I tell my mom about this or just keep it to myself?
Signed,
Mentally Ill
Dear Mentally Ill:
First, Junior year is by far the hardest year in college. People tend not to explain how college continues to get harder as you continue your journey. It is common for students to have mental breakdowns due to everything they are going through from home to school. It is important for you to know how to get out of that funk not just for school but for your mental health as well. If you are feeling like you don’t care about anything it is important to get help now and not go through these times alone. I believe you do need to pray about the situation. God will be able to help you with all your problems.
Secondly, don’t just talk to God about your problems, seek out help. It is okay to talk to a psychiatrist about your problems. I believe everyone needs to talk to a psychiatrist or even a counselor about their life. They will know how to help you get to the root of the problem. To make it easier you should talk to your school counselor about what is going on in your life. The school counselor can even help you talk to professors to let you redo assignments since you’re an A/B student normally. You may not be able to get full credit on assignments but it’s better than nothing. Talking to the counselor can help so you won’t be on academic probation.
Lastly, you do need to talk to your mom about everything. She is going to find out what is going on one way or another once she sees you have to retake classes. Talking to her can help so that she knows more about what is going on in your life. It is important to talk to someone you trust about your problems. I believe she will understand and help take some of the weight off of your shoulders.
Always,
Yana
