College Students and Mental Health Disorders

Each college student feels a significant amount of stress and pressure, especially around stress-induced periods i.e. midterm and finals week. This article discusses the increase and severeity of mental disorders found in college students that attend a local university, Stony Brook. Many students attend counseling that there is a waiting list and sometimes a limit to how many students the psychologist can treat. With the amount and difficulty of work, it is not surprising that many students can not handle the stress, which can lead to serious psychological problems. Mental health problems in college students are not subjected only to the course work, students also find a dificult time in adjusting to their new surroundings and coping with past experiences.

At Stony Brook there have many varied events of students being emitted to psychiatric facilities due to suicidal threats, drug over doses, and other severe cases. The most comon disorders that college students suffer from in some aspect are "depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, alcohol abuse, attention disorders, self-injury, and eating disorders". Even though some students are not clinically diagnosed or treated for these disorders, the majority of college students experience them, the most common being depression and anxiety. Stony Brook had about 24,500 enrolled students, commuters and non-commuters, at the time that the article was published. Out of these students 1,311 were being treated by school counselors, this was a 21 percent increase from the past year, and at the same time New York State budget cut 15 percent of the mental health services over the three years. Not only are the students suffering, but so are the counselors who are put under a tremendous amount of stress even more now that there staff is very limited.

A 2009 survey by the American College Health Association found that 46 percent of college students felt 'things were hopeless' and a third of the students "had been so depressed that it was difficult to function". Another shocking statistic is that there were 133 college student suicides reported in the American College Counseling Association's survey in 320 universities in 2009. Les than 20 of those students sought help on campus.

The truth is that many college students experience these psychological problems and do not know how to cope alone. Some turn to drugs, alcohol or other self-inflicting acts. Many students do not know how or where to seek help on campus, and sometimes might be embaressed. These are common problems that are happening all over the world with college students and need to be further adressed. There are many programs and helpful organizations that are out there to help students, but the numbers are still increasing. Some other factors that can be causing mental health problems are social and media pressures.

NY Times - Health/Psychology

The Psychology of Bullying

I'm sure we all know a bully of some sort from when we were growing up. I had one named Tom who gave me trouble from 5th to 8th grade because I was the new kid. He had been left back twice already by the time I was in 5th grade, so he was 12 years old and he wasn't keen on changing his life. Every day Tom would make a comment about how I didn't fit in, or play a small trick on me (usually getting me to put out my hand and then erasing as quickly as possible on it so I would get a burn). He was a total "tough guy" outside of class; however in class, Tom was shy, quiet, and nervous.

The power he had over his little group of goons was empowering in a setting in which he felt he had no power. Bullying is about power, and when you cannot get it one way, you will resort to the easiest way to get attention. Tom was probably also having a problem growing up. His uncomfortableness with social development, behavior with others, and growing up in general kept him held back and acting like a child.

Tom was kicked out of my junior high in 8th grade, and the next time I saw him was the end of my freshman year in high school. He was also a freshman, and remained a freshman until my junior year. I saw Tom in the detention room every day on my way out of the building, and of course saw him pushing and bothering children (14-15 year olds) while he was 17. By the end of my junior year, Tom was kicked out of my high school.

Tom works at the mall by me now, he is one of those people who comes up to you and asks if you want to be a model.

Children need to "unlearn" violence. It starts in the home and is learned in the home. Once a child sees that it is acceptable to yell, fight, etc. they will use it outside of the home, particularly in school because it is their "home away from home". Bullies also know that their victims will not "tell on them" because the victim would feel embarrassed to tell a parent. The bully understands the mind of the child they bother, with full intent on the victim internalizing the pain.

This link explains the problems faced by the bully and the victim:

The bully will not get over the hunger for power on his/her own; and the continuation of the practice of bullying in a school means that the school needs to fix itself. Teachers may be more focused on getting good grades out of students rather than "cultivating kindness". This could result in any student with a learning disability to feel that they are a lost cause, and to become envious of other students. A number of solutions have been discovered to fight bullying:

1. We must measure and promote positive schools and communities/cultures, the school should include every child at every moment, and the teachers must always be attentive to issues among the students.

2. We must mandate emotional education, by teaching emotional health classes along with the core subjects (because the home isn't so safe sometimes).

3. Parent enrichment classes would help any parents that feel overwhelmed with their child.

"Ultimately, we need to shift our focus from “anti-bullying” to the real problem. The real problem being that these ill systems have focused upon getting students to pass tests, grades and get decent academic standings versus educating their hearts. And that children aren’t given any tools of emotional and social health so they do the best they can with what they’ve got – the problem being that so many kids just don’t have a lot." (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creative-development/201010/school-bullying)

Bullying is learned in the home, but it is cultivated in the schooling process. As I said earlier, it should be "unlearned" in the home, but if it isn't, it must be battled with until it is defeated with the school's help (instead of exacerbated).

Enhanced Perception Through Techniques in Mathematics

http://youtu.be/dt8tsTiHMiI

This you tube video shows how increased perception for school assignments can result from a math technique called Additive Interspersal. Graduate Student Lindsay Nash and Assistant Professor Kristin Johnson-Gros give insight into Lindsay's graduate research study.

Additive Interspersal is a successful method because it reinforces students to complete various assignments and tasks in the classroom. Easier math problems are added to an assignment to break up the level of difficulty. This will keep the student motivated to complete the assignment and enhance their preference. For example, additive intersperse problems can be single digit multiplication problems. These problems will be completed among harder problems such as regrouping of multiple digits in multiplication.

The goal of this math technique is to raise the level of performance in these students. Researchers in school psychology hope that students will be able to improve their ability to correctly answer problems. Additive Interspersal is an important tool to keep the children active in school, and to increase their confidence in higher achievement in the classroom.

This particular study has taught me that various techniques can be used to develop a child's growth in school. Academic interventions are crucial to increase the competency of learning in students.

Autism and Its Effects on A Student

A single-case study was conducted by Kenneth M. Coffey and S. John Obringer, where they interviewed the parents (separately and together) of two children who have been diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) to find just how essential the society plays a role in their child's lives.

This study is interesting, since it focused on two different levels of ASD. One child (male, 14) is diagnosed with a very mild case of autism, and the other child (female, 11) is diagnosed with a very severe case of autism, where learning is affected.

The study demonstrated that the two parents had two disagreements. The expectations of the daughter, and the responsibilities of the two parents. However; the study demonstrated that the parents of the children had views that were much similar to one another. With this, the parents came to agreement that the biggest concern was the educational system for their children. They both agreed that public education was best for their children, for they were not much into sports or doing any activities outside of the home except for church.

What I learned from this study was how important it is for a child, even with ASD, to socially interact with peers in a school. This study has shown that because of socially interaction, the two of them have become successful with their disabilities. The son is a "straight A" student, and the parents believe that the support of the classroom positively effects their daughter's success in becoming an adult.

Though this study only focused on this one particular family, it can be shown that the benefits of a public classroom can efficiently help a child with autism learn to be independent from Mom and Dad, and grow into an adult with only minor disabilities.

Here is the article:

http://www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/school-accommodations-and-inclusive-settings.html

Cognitive Neuroscientists Use Sound Training To Help Dyslexic Children Read

This article explains how dyslexic children learn to read and suggests that pictures and sounds have a beneficial effect on a child's ability to read. A study was performed at the Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts that test the brain activity in dyslexic and non-dyslexic children while playing a computer game that had sound and pictures.

Dr. Nadine Gaab, an assistant professor of pediatrics, suggests that children, as young as infants, 'have problems with processing these changes in sounds'. For example some cognitive neuroscientists suggest that dyslexic children have a problem with interpreting syllables like "ba" and "da". To test this Dr. Gaab had children play a “computer program that plays fast-changing and slow –changing sounds” and the children were monitored with an fMRI.

Results showed that dyslexic children use the same area of the brain to process both sounds and non-dyslexic children use over 11 areas extensively when processing the fast sounds.

fMRI “Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field rather than X-rays to take clear and detailed pictures of internal organs and tissues. fMRI uses this technology to identify regions of the brain where blood vessels are expanding, chemical changes are taking place, or extra oxygen is being delivered.”

http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2008/0505-learn_to_read_through_sound.htm

What is School Psychology?

School Psychology is a field in which psychologist work in an educational setting. They work with students in solving social, behavioral, academic, and emotional issues. In addition, school psychologists evaluate learning disabilities, while researching means of prevention. Such learning disabilities could be Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, or Dysgraphia. Consultations with teachers and parents are often made by psychologists to help the student(s) succeed.

Two to three years of graduate school is needed for this particular field, as well as internships in school psychology. Private Practices can be opened if a doctoral degree is obtained. Depending on degree level, school psychologists can earn $40,000 to $58,000 per year.


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