During the Spring 2013 semester, I was getting so stressed out that I had begun to have chest pains. Though I had medical coverage in Michigan, I decided to go to college in Chicago, IL which made finding a doctor in the city who accepted my insurance particularly challenging. I eventually found one and learned that my heart was okay, but I should manage my stress better.
It was difficult to find a doctor for one appointment. However, for students who need prolonged medical care for a mental illness, the cost and time required for on-going medical care can quickly add up.
NPR recently asked recent college graduates to share their stories surrounding the difficulty in finding healthcare, ranging from covering costly co-pays to having to pay completely out of pocket for visits and treatment.
Mental illness, defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders as a term for having a detectable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder, affects approximately one in five Americans, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
College students are typically saddled with mental health problems like depression and anxiety, according to an October 2013 article published in the American Journal of Health Studies. The National College Health Assessment found that nearly 30 percent of undergraduate students reported that they were "so depressed it was difficult to function," the article points out.
The Affordable Care Act has allowed for students to stay on their parents' insurance plans until the age of 26 or find healthcare through the online Healthcare.gov exchanges, according to NPR.
With such widespread mental health -- detected and not yet diagnosed -- it's important to have resources available on campus for students and assist them once they've graduated. Class of 2014 is too talented to not get the help it needs.
For online mental health resources, click the links below.
MentalHealth.gov
thenationalcouncil.org
nami.org
No comments:
Post a Comment