Psychiatry and Psychiatric Disorders

Biography

Biography: Amy Oestreicher

Abstract

In a 2011 NAMI study, that 64% of college dropouts were for mental health-related reasons, and that, of those, 50% never accessed any mental health programs or services. Stress, anxiety, can make us feel like we’re entirely alone in our struggles. College, especially, can be a breeding ground for stress – a turning point in our lives where we’re independent, perhaps for the first time. Doors become open to us that we never even knew existed. We realize we have the power to make choices, which can be equal parts empowering and frightening. About one-third of college students across the United States had problems functioning because of depression in the last 12 months; almost half said they had felt overwhelming anxiety in the last year, 20 percent said they had seriously considered suicide in their lifetime, and 5.8 percent said they had attempted suicide. Plagued with their own anxiety, as well as taking on the anxiety from their families many students appear more stressed than ever. The office hours of professors are packed with students asking for advice on how to handle situations outside of the class room or are looking for advice on what to do. Counseling centers are operating on waitlists and students are not learning how to self care properly. Students may feel uncomfortable reaching out to health and counseling services. Worse, students may be unaware that these resources exist. Students may feel that if they don't have a “diagnosis”, “mental illness” physical handicap or learning disability, there is no reason to seek out services, they are not “qualified” to seek out these services, or they fear being “labeled”. There can often be a communication gap or barrier between academia and a student struggling with anxiety, campus life transitions, and common adjustments needed for college. To address the deathly stigma surrounding mental illness, sexual assault and PTSD on college campuses, Gutless & Grateful is a program combining a dynamic, live autobiographical musical performance, a talkback on an empowered approach to mental health, how to develop a resiliency toolbox, how to cultivate hope, and how to thrive in college with a physical or mental health condition. See the program: https://www.amyoes.com/gutless/for-colleges/ I've been through my own ordeal of sexual abuse, 27 surgeries, coma, organ failure, six years unable to eat or drink, and the PTSD that comes from ten years of trauma. Being able to reach out for help and find support is what helps us realize we’re not alone. This inspired me to start trying to bridge the gap of communication between departments on campus – academia, career counseling, wellness resources, accessibility, and student groups. There can be a barrier between academia and a student struggling with anxiety, campus life transitions, and common adjustments needed for college. The resources on campus become compartmentalized and students who don’t necessarily feel they have an issue “significant” enough cheat themselves out of learning valuable life skills. Gutless & Grateful aims to introduce these resources on campus helpful sources that can build resilience on campus, while also destigmatizing mental illness and encouraging students to reach out, speak up and start the conversation. One of the most difficult issues for students is to not feel alienated or stigmatized when they feel they have a concern that needs to be addressed - or worse, the feeling that they don't need/deserve/want help. The solution lies in our ability to engage, educate and empower youth to act as “fluids” in the system – infiltrating the gaps that administration may not be able to access. Through our “detours” in our individual pathways, we create an intricate tapestry that makes up the fabric of who we are as a human race. Gutless & Grateful strives to shift an entire college ethos in the direction of inclusion – partly to give courage and a sense of belonging to people who are struggling with all kinds of mental health or physical challenges, but also to help build a campus that gives everyone the kind of awareness and generosity of spirit that makes that world a better place. Through integrating the Eight Divisions of Wellness, incorporating various learning styles, and molding a campus community ready for growth, students can learn, evolve and collectively thrive through shared experience.