Is it just me, or are students suffering more from stress this semester? In the first five weeks of school this year, I have sent four students to the counseling center. One student is sick on every test day, one student can’t talk himself into getting up and coming to class even though he is prepared. Each one had a story that made me concerned for his or her physical or mental safety and so I sent them to the counseling center.

What’s going on and how can I help? I am in no way trained in mental health, however I have many experiences with people who are struggling. The most gut wrenching is a nephew who committed suicide at the young age of 24 after losing his battle with depression. He never shared his struggles with anyone, so all were blind sided by his suicide. Since then I have been amazed to learn about all of my family members that struggle with depression. I was much more aware of what to watch for in my own children so to help them learn to manage.

The stigma of mental illness is lessening, but how do we get our students to get the help they need before they are so far down the hole that they can not recover? Should NMC have an action plan?