“I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out, and I thought how it is worse perhaps to be locked in,” she wrote in the note. “For you mom…the necklaces…For you, Nana & Papa…GingerSnaps (always reminds me of you)…For you Ingrid…The Happiness Project. And Dad…the Godiva chocolate truffles. I love you all…I’m sorry. I love you.”
This suicide note was released a year after the passing of University of Pennsylvania student, Madison Holleran. Her parents felt the need to share this letter to help others going through the same struggle of depression and thoughts of suicide. College is meant to be the time of young people’s lives. A time to explore manage your time, skip class, regret decisions, learn from them and finally, graduate with a degree to show for all your hard work and dedication.
But some students feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. For students that are fully involved in their academic life, social life and family life, college can go from fun to stressful in one semester.
The pressure to be perfect is constantly pushed among students in college. Young men and women focus their lives on a 4.0 GPA while working out everyday but also trying to be fully committed to their friends and family as well as juggling eating healthy, getting enough sleep and not missing a beat.
“College is extremely stressful. There seems to be a constant tug-of-war between different responsibilities,” Amber McVaugh, president of Active Minds club, said.
This scary reality hits students at a very young age when brains are still processing at a pace that was never meant to be breakneck.
Many students feel they are alone in this battle of stress and anxiety. But the biggest thing to understand is that there are others going through the same struggle.
Cabrini has a chapter with the club Active Minds which is a nationwide organization that increases student awareness of mental health issues and provides information as well as biweekly meetings that encourage students to seek help and confide in peers.
“As someone who has attempted suicide before, I know a little about what it’s like to feel empty enough to consider ending your own life,” McVaugh said. “But I’ve learned the best way to handle the stress is to put aside some time everyday to recollect myself.”
Most students seem to have it all together. From posting accomplishments and accolades on Facebook to sharing photos on Instagram of them having more fun, meeting more people and finding better parties, it is easy to fall under the spell that no one understands the struggle of being perfect.
“There is most definitely a pressure to be perfect, but that’s almost unavoidable in today’s day and age,” McVaugh said. “The best way to get through each day is to remind yourself that you should always only strive to be the best possible version of yourself.”
According to collegedegreeresearch.net, suicide rates on college campuses have increased over 200 percent in the past 50 years. Not only has the pressure of doing well in all aspects of life affected students more in this generation, but social media is attributed to the feeling of “not good enough,” as well.
Going on social media platforms and seeing others living what seems to be a better life has caused the emotional health of college freshman to decline to the lowest rate in 25 years.
Two years ago at a University close to Cabrini, a young woman, Madison Holleran, faced the pressure to excel in every aspect of her life. From being the top athlete and never having a grade lower than an A to being the social butterfly, Holleran felt the burden of meeting the highest standards. On Friday, Jan. 17, 2014, Holleran, a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, jumped off the top of a parking garage, killing herself.
The shock rippled across campuses locally and nation-wide. According to the NYTimes, “Holleran was the third of six Penn students to commit suicide in a 13-month stretch.” The suicide rate among 15 to 24-year-olds has steadily increased since 2007. Now the most common mental health issues among college students is anxiety and depression.
Cabrini offers psychological services to those going through these emotions. The counseling center has three trained professionals who are constantly working to help students find the guidance they need.
Going on social media platforms and seeing others living what seems to be a better life has caused the emotional health of college freshman to decline to the lowest rate in 25 years.
If a student is looking to become more active on campus for mental health or is just looking for support, Active Minds invites those individuals to participate in Cabrini’s chapter.
“Sometimes it’s hard for students to reach out to adult counselors with their issues, so we try to keep an open and accepting environment for those with suicidal thoughts,” McVaugh said. “Sometimes it’s a simple smile that can save a life. Small actions move mountains.”
