Once a mental illness takes the reigns of life, the college experience you hoped for might become something dreaded.
According to the American Psychological Association, college students are commonly burdened with anxiety and depression, stating that 41.6% of students suffer from anxiety and 36.4% with depression.
Because of statistics such as these, the BYU-Idaho Public Relations Student Society of America chapter hopes to help students who are suffering from a mental illness by receiving donations to make wellness kits.
During the week of Feb 24., PRSSA will be accepting donations through the Student Wellness Center until March 7, when they will put these kits together.
These kits will include sensory items like fidget spinners, stress balls and bubble wrap, as well as beneficial reading materials.
“Essentially, it’s something that can be given to people for the first time they go into the Student Health Center and they need help with mental health,” said David Johnson, a junior studying communication and the BYU-I PRSSA chapter president.
These kits can be given to students while they wait for the next step in their diagnosis.
In the next few weeks, they are asking for the students and people of Rexburg to help by donating and volunteering.
“Anybody that’s looking for an opportunity to serve, we want them to come help out,” Johnson said. “If you’re passionate about mental health, let your voice be heard, help others.”
With the amount of pressure students face while struggling with mental illnesses, these kits could aid in relaxing them which can in turn, benefit their learning.
“Everyone’s so focused on memorizing, so when they fail a test or don’t do so good, their mental issues come to play,” said Chandler Hendry, a freshman studying exercise physiology. “They get anxiety/depression because they feel like they’re failing.”
