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Every student experiences some changes
in daily routine with the transition to college life.
Some of these changes are normal and healthy, but some may
signal that an individual may be struggling with a psychological
disorder. Here are some examples:
| Behavior |
Example of normal changes |
Changes that indicate something might be wrong |
| Sleep schedule |
Average bedtime changing from 10pm to 1am and average
waking time changing from 6am to 10am; sleeping late
on weekends |
Sleeping more than 10 hrs on average and still feeling
tired; difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep;
sleeping only a few hours a night; frequent, upsetting
nightmares; feeling physically unable to get out of
bed |
| Eating patterns |
Increase in late-night pizza consumption; complaints
that dorm food isn’t very appetizing; only eating things
that are readily available and can be eaten quickly |
Eating secretively; preoccupation with counting calories
and only eating the “right” foods; restricting food
intake; eating more food in a short period of time than
most people could stand to eat; fasting, vomiting, or
laxative abuse |
| Drinking patterns |
Change from drinking alcohol once a month or not at
all to drinking a couple times a month with friends |
Drinking alcohol more than once a week; getting drunk
nearly every time drinking occurs; drinking alone; drinking
at unusual times (weekdays, mornings, before class) |
| Social activity |
Occasionally not participating in social activities
due to schoolwork; occasionally putting off schoolwork
to engage in social activities; gradually losing contact
with some high school friends |
Withdrawing from almost all social activities; maintaining
few consistent social contacts; feeling highly anxious
or uncomfortable in social situations; becoming so involved
in social activities that schoolwork is completely neglected;
feeling unable to trust others; frequently declining
invitations for no particular reason |
| Changes in mood |
Becoming anxious and irritable the day before an exam;
getting annoyed with roommate’s laundry habits; being
upset or crying after doing poorly on an exam |
Crying or feeling tearful more than 1-2 times a week;
persistent feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, or
seeing the future as “blank”; feeling irritated by most
people; feeling anxious or “on edge” nearly every day;
feeling either very good or very bad, but rarely just
OK; feeling like your moods change very quickly for
little or no reason; lack of interest in previously
enjoyable activities |
| Level of difficulty with schoolwork |
Finding classes more difficult than in high school;
occasionally falling behind in assigned reading; occasionally
feeling overwhelmed by course load |
Becoming so anxious that it becomes difficult to complete
assignments; difficulty with tasks that were previously
simple (reading, retaining information); feeling like
you have to force yourself to do anything (and not just
because there’s something fun that you’d rather be doing);
difficulty concentrating on assignments or while taking
exams |
If you think you might be experiencing a psychological
disorder
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Have hope that you will heal. Most psychological
disorders are highly treatable. With therapy and/or
medication, you will not only survive this present illness
but recover and eventually thrive.
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Be kind to yourself. Do not blame yourself
for having a psychological disorder; it is nobody’s fault,
and it is not a sign of weakness.
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Recognize that this is a real, medical illness, and
as such, deserves competent medical attention. You
do not have to try to “fix” it by yourself.
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Consider going to Counseling and Psychological Services
(CAPS) to speak with a counselor. CAPS is located
in 3100 in the Michigan Union and is open 8am-5pm on weekdays
and offers free, confidential, short-term counseling for
all students. At CAPS, you can make an appointment
to see a counselor at a later date (usually within 1-2 weeks)
and/or you can request to see the Counselor on Duty, who
will see you that same day. CAPS offers short-term
therapy and can also help you find a local therapist and/or
psychiatrist, if necessary. Or, you can check www.mhweb.org,
which lists local mental health professionals, their areas
of specialization, and insurance coverage information.
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Educate yourself about psychological disorders.
Here are some useful links:
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Natl Alliance for the Mentally Ill: www.nami.org
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Natl Mental Health Alliance: www.nmha.org
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Natl Institute of Mental Health: www.nimh.nih.gov
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CAPS website: www.umich.edu/~caps
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Finding Voice confidential email: findingvoice@umich.edu
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