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hopefulcollectorsweetsworld · 5 years

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Student Counseling Services: Do they really help the 'mentally ill' ?

(The writer is a student of IIT-Delhi. However, the conclusions of this article applies to many of the universities.)

Let me begin by a story.

Once upon a time, in a college, there was a boy and a girl. Both strangers, the boy and the girl, were passing thorough the university corridor, when they bumped into each other. The boy fell down. The girl fell down. When they got up and saw each other, it was love at the first sight. And after that they started spending their time together. Many months passed. The boy finally proposed the girl. But the girl rejected her. She broke his heart. The boy wasn't able to face this rejection. He slipped into depression. He started taking drugs, alcohol, cigarette to escape from his depression. His academic performance went down. His mentor(senior) saw his behavior. The mentor(senior) took him to the counseling center. He received some counseling at the counseling center. The things started improving. He started to attend classes again, went to the library, and started scoring good marks. He quit drugs, smoking, and alcohol. He overcame his broken heart. He became happy again. He graduated from the university. Happy Ending.

This was the story which was shown to me on the orientation day through a video when I came to the university as a freshman. I was just 17 years old then. This was the image in my mind before visiting the counseling center: the center helps the students when they are going through a tough time, that the center tries to solve the root cause of the problems of the students, that the center is purely confidential and the personal information is not shared with anyone. Overall the center had a good image of them in my mind.

But I have realized now that it was just a marketing strategy employed by the counseling center to attract the troubled students. There are many strategies employed by the counseling center people to attract students example:- showing this video which do not give the real picture of functioning of the counseling center.

Many people including my seniors and juniors do not know the reality about the counseling center. Whenever they see someone struggling thorough their inner problems, they would advise to visit the counseling center. The reason being the conditioning of students by the college and the counseling center by their utopian propaganda.

What I have experienced: confidentiality is a myth in the counseling center. They say that your personal information is not shared with anybody. Anybody means ANYBODY. What they don't say that they are allowed to break confidentiality when they see you as a threat to yourself (like the possibility of committing suicide) or to others. Generally they contact the parents of the students whom they think might need some psychiatric help.

Back then I was an optimistic person. I used to think that counseling center would help me to resolve my inner conflicts. That visiting the center would do some good to me. I have realized that most mainstream “mental health” is more damaging than helpful.

Then is visiting to the counseling center a good option: I would say No. There are better options available.

The decision of visiting the counseling center has played a very crucial role in my life.

Earlier, I did not think that there would be any stigma attached with the counseling center. I thought all sort of people go to the counseling center. It was also written on the university website that people who visit the counseling center aren't mad or weak rather they show some willingness to solve their problems. I never have realized the stigma until I went myself there.

I went to the counseling center of my home university. It was like giving my future into somebody else's hand.

So I reached the counseling center. I met the student counselor. She handed over me a form in which I had to fill some questionnaire. We had some conversation most of the details I didn't remember. When I filled the form she asked me the contact number of my friend. I gave the contact number of my senior(a girl) to the counselor. The counselor called my senior to come around 4'O clock.

These days if the student counselors saw any problem with a student visiting the center, they send him/her to the see the psychiatrist.

The counselor told my senior that I needed help. And if Deans saw me in this condition, Deans would told me to go home. They were there to 'help' me. So the duty of the senior girl was to take me to the hospital and to see the psychiatrist. And that day I and the psychiatrist had a long conversation, but in the end he prescribed me some sort of anti-psychotics. Now I had to take the anti-psychotics.

The night I received a call from the senior saying according to the counselor I had to go back home because it was vacation and I not had been allowed to stay alone in the campus. I had to leave the campus and came back with my parents when the semester would start.

You see, when you reach the counseling center, they can even interfere in your personal life and the college life. You have disclosed your most valued secrets to somebody and somebody used your secrets.

What is the better option instead of visiting the counseling center: Do seek any professional help if you need but don't go somewhere your information might be used against you. Visiting a therapist outside the campus is no problem because at least they could not interfere in your college life and could not put restrictions on your freedom.

I had not told my parents about me taking medications, visiting the counseling center, and the psychiatrist.

I took medication for some days and I was feeling different. It was as if someone had put tape to my mouth that I could not smile much. I was feeling side effects of the medications. I visited the counseling center to tell the counselors that I am feeling the side effects of the medications. They did not believe me. They thought that it was the disease returning. They thought that I was not taking my medications. So they called my parents.

My parents arrived and they were told to sign a semester withdrawal form. The reason which was given by the counseling center people to my parents was that my mental state could go worse if I stayed here. They were forcing me to take semester withdrawal. The counseling center among all the universities have the same policy. Students are told to leave when they feel suicidal or mentally troubled. Me and my parents did not like the idea of semester withdrawal. We thought it would be better to consult the psychiatrist. I had good grades. The psychiatrist based on my previous academic records told me not to take the semester withdrawal as I can perform good in the semester. So I did not take the semester withdrawal.

But my parents were told to stay with me in the apartments inside the college so that one of my parents (my mother) could monitor me taking the medications. I had to vacate the hostel. I feel it as a discrimination against the people with a mental illness.

The counseling center people are so smart that they even signed my signature and my parents signature on an application written in first person, from my point of view, saying that I take the responsibilities of all my actions. That meant if I committed suicide by chance, the center had the record so that no blame could be put on the college administration. What I feel is that they were trying to protect the college's reputation in case I committed suicide. However, I did not think they helped even a little bit of me in resolving my conflicts.

They just give the semester withdrawal so that you can swallow the medications at your home. (Taking a semester withdrawal on this basis is not a good option. They won't return you your tuition fees if you took a semester withdrawal mid-way. And maximum that can happen when you don't take a semester withdrawal is that you fail every course, means no credit passed in the semester. You would not get any course credit too if you take the semester withdrawal.) And the next semester when you came back to join the institute again, you are required to meet the counselor to prove that you are in good mental condition to continue your studies. You would have to submit your medical report to the counselor.

Counseling center people argued that so many people came to the counseling center to visit and given the number of students visiting the counseling center and number of counselors, solving everyone's problem would take much longer time. It is not possible to help each and everybody effectively. I agree on this point.

Do I regret going to counseling center ?: Yes, I do.

Was my inner conflicts resolved ?: No.

Was my privacy intruded by the counseling center ?: Yes, many-a-times.

Were other students told about my mental illness ?: Yes.

Was my confidentiality broken ?: Yes, many-a-times.

Do they really help the 'mentally ill' ?: Not to the core.

What counseling center generally do:

Give you a semester withdrawal (sometimes forced semester withdrawal).

Give you an accommodation where you can live with your one of your parent who can monitor you taking medications. (sometimes forcing students to take medications)

Keeping your personal medical records with them.

Would I recommend anybody to visit the counseling center: Not highly recommended. Proceed at your own risk.